Good morning Regina!!
Tonight is going to be a great night in North Central Regina. Why is that you ask? Well, the North Central Community Association is hosting their 2nd Annual North Central Volunteer Awards Night! And, what's better, is that I've been nominated for an award! I cannot tell you how great it is to be recognized for something like this, even if I don't win an award, I feel that I've won so much more just by being able to give back to the Community in a noticable way.
If you have some time this evening, make your way down to Scott Collegiate Auditorium from 6-8pm, and join in the celebration of some of Regina's most dedicated and hard working volunteers! https://www.facebook.com/events/151642878348023/?ref=3
Have a great Regina day everyone!
Your resource for everything you need to know about Chad Novak, working hard for Taxpayers starting in 2012. You can contact me at chadnovak2012@gmail.com.
Thursday, 16 May 2013
Tuesday, 14 May 2013
Housing & Parking - Two Major Issues: Easy to Fix?
Good morning Regina!
Well, it is looking like the City of Regina and Mayor Michael Fougere are facing some pretty intense heat from the general public, and the media, regarding housing, and now it appears that parking enforcement is also on the radar. What's nice about this? Not much. Other than the fact that these are two specific campaign platform points that I ran on, that - while not the panacea - would have provided a very reasonable and viable solution for each of these problems.
The first being the Affordable Housing and the current housing crisis that is affecting the residents of Regina. Aside from the Stadium, this was the hot button issue on the campaign trail in 2012 during the Civic Election. In fact, I would argue that it took priority over the Stadium, simply because there was nothing much anyone could do about the stadium project - City Council was bound and determined to ram the Stadium project through no matter what the election results told them. It has become quite obvious in recent weeks and days that the Mayor's Housing Summit, promised by Mayor Fougere as "Step One" in addressing these severe housing issues in our City, is doing nothing more than providing lip service to those directly impacted by the situation, and is setup to be more of a networking opportunity for those developers, construction companies, and government officials.
One solution that I had proposed, admittedly not as vocally as I should have, was to look at other cities to determine what has worked, and what hasn't worked as well, in addressing their housing situations. Regina is not alone in experiencing this problem - the root problem being uncontrolled growth - and thus, we should take the time to learn from other Cities, rather than trying to define a "Made in Regina" solution to the problem. Thankfully, it appears that this is something that Mayor Fougere is borrowing from my toolbag as part of this Housing Summit (http://www.leaderpost.com/business/Regina+looks+other+Canadian+cities+inspiration+solve+housing/8380205/story.html). But, the obvious question is - why do we need an expensive summit to learn something that a few phone calls and a few meetings could have addressed in November? You know, right after the election, proving that it was actually his number one priority, rather than the Stadium project.
I could go on for paragraphs about how to fix the Housing situation, but I will hold my comments until later to see what concrete plans actually do come out of this networking opportunity for the elite. Now onto parking (http://globalnews.ca/news/558805/regina-faces-a-parking-crunch-as-the-city-plans-to-increase-enforcement/). This one is actually a very simple fix - or at least from those I've consulted on this. The unfortunate thing is the City of Regina seems to be more focussed on enforcing their self-created parking problems, rather than proactively providing solutions to the problem of parking in the downtown core. It's obvious for anyone that works within the downtown region that parking IS a problem. There are off-street parking solutions, but very few, and what there are, there is at least a year-long waiting list. And, you can't park in a metered spot for more than two hours, so the next solution? Park in the residential areas in the vicinity of downtown! Great idea, right? Wrong. There is also a two-hour limit to parking in these areas, and the unfortunate thing is - this is only setup as an apparent tax-grab by the City, rather than providing any actual solutions. People continue to park in these areas, regardless of how many tickets they get, and this never actually addresses the problem.
What was the solution that I proposed over a year ago? Talk to the companies that are experts in parking, like ImPark. Yes, I get that not everyone likes companies specializing in parking, but the reality is - they know the market best - why not let them handle the situation? There are things the City can do to alleviate the residents concerns with private parking companies, and that is working with them, instead of against them. When I met with the Executives at ImPark last March, they loved the ideas I was proposing. When I asked why they weren't pursuing these solutions, the answer was simple. The City was unwilling to work with them. The City has a view that they want to focus on Transit, rather than the known problem of downtown parking and traffic. This is truly unfortunate, especially considering the Transit is - less than ideal - at the current moment.
So, with all that said, hopefully the City is willing to revisit this issue, and we can work towards a proactive solution to the simple fixes to downtown issues of Traffic, Congestion and Parking. Once I have a spare moment to arrange a meeting with them, I will try to do that, and maybe, just maybe, we can fix this known problem for future years!
Have a great Regina Day everyone!
Well, it is looking like the City of Regina and Mayor Michael Fougere are facing some pretty intense heat from the general public, and the media, regarding housing, and now it appears that parking enforcement is also on the radar. What's nice about this? Not much. Other than the fact that these are two specific campaign platform points that I ran on, that - while not the panacea - would have provided a very reasonable and viable solution for each of these problems.
The first being the Affordable Housing and the current housing crisis that is affecting the residents of Regina. Aside from the Stadium, this was the hot button issue on the campaign trail in 2012 during the Civic Election. In fact, I would argue that it took priority over the Stadium, simply because there was nothing much anyone could do about the stadium project - City Council was bound and determined to ram the Stadium project through no matter what the election results told them. It has become quite obvious in recent weeks and days that the Mayor's Housing Summit, promised by Mayor Fougere as "Step One" in addressing these severe housing issues in our City, is doing nothing more than providing lip service to those directly impacted by the situation, and is setup to be more of a networking opportunity for those developers, construction companies, and government officials.
One solution that I had proposed, admittedly not as vocally as I should have, was to look at other cities to determine what has worked, and what hasn't worked as well, in addressing their housing situations. Regina is not alone in experiencing this problem - the root problem being uncontrolled growth - and thus, we should take the time to learn from other Cities, rather than trying to define a "Made in Regina" solution to the problem. Thankfully, it appears that this is something that Mayor Fougere is borrowing from my toolbag as part of this Housing Summit (http://www.leaderpost.com/business/Regina+looks+other+Canadian+cities+inspiration+solve+housing/8380205/story.html). But, the obvious question is - why do we need an expensive summit to learn something that a few phone calls and a few meetings could have addressed in November? You know, right after the election, proving that it was actually his number one priority, rather than the Stadium project.
I could go on for paragraphs about how to fix the Housing situation, but I will hold my comments until later to see what concrete plans actually do come out of this networking opportunity for the elite. Now onto parking (http://globalnews.ca/news/558805/regina-faces-a-parking-crunch-as-the-city-plans-to-increase-enforcement/). This one is actually a very simple fix - or at least from those I've consulted on this. The unfortunate thing is the City of Regina seems to be more focussed on enforcing their self-created parking problems, rather than proactively providing solutions to the problem of parking in the downtown core. It's obvious for anyone that works within the downtown region that parking IS a problem. There are off-street parking solutions, but very few, and what there are, there is at least a year-long waiting list. And, you can't park in a metered spot for more than two hours, so the next solution? Park in the residential areas in the vicinity of downtown! Great idea, right? Wrong. There is also a two-hour limit to parking in these areas, and the unfortunate thing is - this is only setup as an apparent tax-grab by the City, rather than providing any actual solutions. People continue to park in these areas, regardless of how many tickets they get, and this never actually addresses the problem.
What was the solution that I proposed over a year ago? Talk to the companies that are experts in parking, like ImPark. Yes, I get that not everyone likes companies specializing in parking, but the reality is - they know the market best - why not let them handle the situation? There are things the City can do to alleviate the residents concerns with private parking companies, and that is working with them, instead of against them. When I met with the Executives at ImPark last March, they loved the ideas I was proposing. When I asked why they weren't pursuing these solutions, the answer was simple. The City was unwilling to work with them. The City has a view that they want to focus on Transit, rather than the known problem of downtown parking and traffic. This is truly unfortunate, especially considering the Transit is - less than ideal - at the current moment.
So, with all that said, hopefully the City is willing to revisit this issue, and we can work towards a proactive solution to the simple fixes to downtown issues of Traffic, Congestion and Parking. Once I have a spare moment to arrange a meeting with them, I will try to do that, and maybe, just maybe, we can fix this known problem for future years!
Have a great Regina Day everyone!
Sunday, 12 May 2013
People's Housing Summit Forced to Move Rooms
UPDATE:
Since this was posted, the organizers have been notified that they are now being relocated back to their original room on the convention floor. There has been no explanation as to why this happened, but hopefully it was public pressure that forced this organization to re-think it's decision.
Good morning Regina!!
As you may or may not be aware by now, there has been an "alternative" housing summit to be hosted by some great local organizations and housing representatives on Tuesday, May 14, 2013, not to compete or protest Mayor Fougere's Housing Summit, but to complement what they are doing by providing an alternative to those who cannot afford the hefty $275/person ticket to be afforded the opportunity to attend. This "People's Housing Summit" (http://globalnews.ca/news/550052/housing-advocates-to-hold-second-housing-summit-in-regina/), as it's been dubbed, has been organized to involve those who are truly directly impacted by the current housing crisis, and was certainly not intended to be in protest of Mayor Fougere's Housing Summit (http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/story/2013/05/10/sk-housing-summit-announcement.html), but more of a complement, to encourage those who feel they are being excluded from Mr. Fougere's Summit due to the hefty price tag and exclusivity of the event. Let alone the fact that a majority of the presenters and information sessions at Mr. Fougere's Summit seems to be excluding representation from a very important group in Regina, that being those who are directly impacted by the Housing Crisis, and those who fully understand what impact this is having on our community, and our society. Thanks once again to the great folks at Carmichael Outreach, Project People, Dr. Marc Spooner, and others for organizing this and various other events on May 13 & 14, 2013 to show just how important this issue is to the citizens of Regina.
Unfortunately, the room that the "People's Housing Summit" was originaly scheduled to be held in was recently "bumped" by another company (http://www.scribd.com/doc/140740970/Regina%E2%80%99s-Alternative-People%E2%80%99s-Summit-bumped-from-convention-floor-by-Mayor%E2%80%99s-Housing-Summit), which certainly makes me feel uneasy, and sadly a bit skeptical that this was an "innocent" move on behalf of said company. With that said, I am willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, and thus I found that someone had posted a link to this company's website, the very company that has overtaken this meeting room. I encourage you all to send off an email to this company explaining they are displacing this alternative housing summit, organized and directed to those DIRECTLY impacted by the Housing Crisis in Regina. I encourage you also to be respectful in your correspondence, and emphasize that this "People's Housing Summit" was only intended as a complement to Mayor Fougere's Housing Summit, and not a protest, as Mr. Fougere has told the media recently.
PLEASE take two minutes and send them off an email. I like to give people the benefit of the doubt, and maybe they honestly didn't know about this situation. Hopefully they may either change their mind or sincerely apologize for this inconvenience, whether intentional or not.
http://www.bonestructure.ca/en/contact.php
Below is a copy of the email I sent this evening:
Hi there,
I was wondering if you were aware that your company booked a room at the Hotel Saskatchewan recently that has bumped a very important housing summit that was involving the homelessness and severe rental shortage in Regina? This group apparently had that room booked since April 1, 2013, and I am very unimpressed if this was done in malice by your company.
I would really appreciate a response to confirm this was an honest oversight on your part, and not intentional by your company to shut down the voices of the less fortunate. FYI - The housing summit you are attending involves only developers and construction related businesses, and is NOT OPEN TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC without a hefty price tag, $275 per person. The alternate Housing Summit, hosted by many great local non-profit organizations that stand up for those directly affected by this housing crisis is 100% FREE TO THE PUBLIC TO ATTEND and ALL ARE WELCOME.
Also, as an FYI, this housing summit that those groups are putting on was not intended to protest the one hosted by Mayor Michael Fougere, but as an honest attempt to involve those DIRECTLY AFFECTED by this issue, and not to be a networking opportunity for developers.
I hope that your company's better judgement and professionalism takes over the apparent greed by local developers, and I would encourage you to attend the alternate housing summit, at least to see what it is truly all about here in Regina. We are all for fixing the problems, but excluding those directly impacted by the housing crisis, as Mayor Fougere has done, is doing absolutely nothing but providing lip service to those who see this as a truly serious issue for our great community.
Thank you and have a great weekend.
Best Regards,
Chad A. Novak, CMA
Since this was posted, the organizers have been notified that they are now being relocated back to their original room on the convention floor. There has been no explanation as to why this happened, but hopefully it was public pressure that forced this organization to re-think it's decision.
Good morning Regina!!
As you may or may not be aware by now, there has been an "alternative" housing summit to be hosted by some great local organizations and housing representatives on Tuesday, May 14, 2013, not to compete or protest Mayor Fougere's Housing Summit, but to complement what they are doing by providing an alternative to those who cannot afford the hefty $275/person ticket to be afforded the opportunity to attend. This "People's Housing Summit" (http://globalnews.ca/news/550052/housing-advocates-to-hold-second-housing-summit-in-regina/), as it's been dubbed, has been organized to involve those who are truly directly impacted by the current housing crisis, and was certainly not intended to be in protest of Mayor Fougere's Housing Summit (http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/story/2013/05/10/sk-housing-summit-announcement.html), but more of a complement, to encourage those who feel they are being excluded from Mr. Fougere's Summit due to the hefty price tag and exclusivity of the event. Let alone the fact that a majority of the presenters and information sessions at Mr. Fougere's Summit seems to be excluding representation from a very important group in Regina, that being those who are directly impacted by the Housing Crisis, and those who fully understand what impact this is having on our community, and our society. Thanks once again to the great folks at Carmichael Outreach, Project People, Dr. Marc Spooner, and others for organizing this and various other events on May 13 & 14, 2013 to show just how important this issue is to the citizens of Regina.
Unfortunately, the room that the "People's Housing Summit" was originaly scheduled to be held in was recently "bumped" by another company (http://www.scribd.com/doc/140740970/Regina%E2%80%99s-Alternative-People%E2%80%99s-Summit-bumped-from-convention-floor-by-Mayor%E2%80%99s-Housing-Summit), which certainly makes me feel uneasy, and sadly a bit skeptical that this was an "innocent" move on behalf of said company. With that said, I am willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, and thus I found that someone had posted a link to this company's website, the very company that has overtaken this meeting room. I encourage you all to send off an email to this company explaining they are displacing this alternative housing summit, organized and directed to those DIRECTLY impacted by the Housing Crisis in Regina. I encourage you also to be respectful in your correspondence, and emphasize that this "People's Housing Summit" was only intended as a complement to Mayor Fougere's Housing Summit, and not a protest, as Mr. Fougere has told the media recently.
PLEASE take two minutes and send them off an email. I like to give people the benefit of the doubt, and maybe they honestly didn't know about this situation. Hopefully they may either change their mind or sincerely apologize for this inconvenience, whether intentional or not.
http://www.bonestructure.ca/en/contact.php
Below is a copy of the email I sent this evening:
Hi there,
I was wondering if you were aware that your company booked a room at the Hotel Saskatchewan recently that has bumped a very important housing summit that was involving the homelessness and severe rental shortage in Regina? This group apparently had that room booked since April 1, 2013, and I am very unimpressed if this was done in malice by your company.
I would really appreciate a response to confirm this was an honest oversight on your part, and not intentional by your company to shut down the voices of the less fortunate. FYI - The housing summit you are attending involves only developers and construction related businesses, and is NOT OPEN TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC without a hefty price tag, $275 per person. The alternate Housing Summit, hosted by many great local non-profit organizations that stand up for those directly affected by this housing crisis is 100% FREE TO THE PUBLIC TO ATTEND and ALL ARE WELCOME.
Also, as an FYI, this housing summit that those groups are putting on was not intended to protest the one hosted by Mayor Michael Fougere, but as an honest attempt to involve those DIRECTLY AFFECTED by this issue, and not to be a networking opportunity for developers.
I hope that your company's better judgement and professionalism takes over the apparent greed by local developers, and I would encourage you to attend the alternate housing summit, at least to see what it is truly all about here in Regina. We are all for fixing the problems, but excluding those directly impacted by the housing crisis, as Mayor Fougere has done, is doing absolutely nothing but providing lip service to those who see this as a truly serious issue for our great community.
Thank you and have a great weekend.
Best Regards,
Chad A. Novak, CMA
Thursday, 9 May 2013
Rooming House Forum
Great turnout tonight for the only democratic version of the housing summit. THIS, ladies and gentlemen, is what the City of Regina should be doing. Not spending tens of thousands of YOUR dollars simply to network and foster more back scratching relationships.
Wednesday, 8 May 2013
Regina's Housing Crisis: Made even worse by the City of Regina
Good morning Regina!!
In what even the City of Regina admits is a ridiculous bylaw, it would appear that this week is far more about action than words. Within days of the Regina Housing Summit which is planned to occur May 13 & 14, news broke Monday with a CTV exclusive report (later reported by other local media outlets), and gaining more traction by the hour, the City of Regina is in some hot water as it tries to enforce a bylaw that, get this, prevents homeowners from renting out rooms in their house to "non-relatives" for "compensation". What's worse? This is perfectly allowable in that very same bylaw - IF THE OWNER DOESN'T LIVE THERE!!! Yes, you read that right Regina, both situations result in the same alleged inconveniences that those in "mid to upper scale neighbourhoods" complain to the City about, but yet, one is perfectly alright, while the other can land you with a $10,000 fine or up to a year in jail. Yep, that's your reward for helping with the Regina Housing Crisis, folks! FINED or IMPRISONMENT.
This is why I say, strongly, that actions speak far louder than words. No amount of "elitist" bullshit Housing Summit event, no matter how well-intended, can offset the horrible PR nightmare that is only just beginning for the City of Regina with this one ridiculous bylaw - or more to the point, the enforcement of said ridiculous bylaw. I recall at a recent housing "information" session (it was supposed to be Q&A, but a lot of people left with more Q's than A's), that the City Deputy Manager, Jason Carlston, himself, agreed this bylaw was outdated and needed to be ammended and/or reviewed. First off, I was blown away that this bylaw even existed at that time, but I thought, "thank goodness they aren't enforcing such a stupid bylaw." Then, BAM, Monday, here we go, enforcement. Keep in mind, folks, this is only the first such situation to be reported to the Media. How many others have silently allowed the City of Regina to walk all over them and evicted their tenants because they were afraid of the penalties that the City would enforce on them?
With the above in mind, and considering Regina is facing an extremely tight housing crisis (Vacancy at or below 1% for many months/years now), I STRONGLY encourage each and every one of you to do AT LEAST one of three things:
#1 - Phone your City Councillor and tell them to STOP ENFORCING THIS BYLAW until it has been reviewed and updated. Even the BYLAW ENFORCEMENT MANAGER has been quoted on TV as saying that it's a ridiculous bylaw, but "they have no choice but to enforce it". Actually, this is completely false. They do have the option to explain to the complainers about their honest concerns with this ridiculous bylaw and that they are looking into ways to address it. I believe that this would alleviate any concerns of those residents who are upset with the situations, on both sides.
#2 - Attend the Meeting at St. Martin's Parish on Thursday evening from 7-9pm, where the City has agreed to meet with residents about this utterly ridiculous situation. It is my personal hope that they will say "oops" and reverse this ludicrous decision until updates to the bylaws are made.
or
#3 - Take part in the "Enough Talk, Let's Walk" put on by Carmichael Outreach on Monday, May 13, 2013 at 12:00PM. Details below:
ATTENTION CITY OF REGINA TAXPAYERS CONCERNED ABOUT THE REGINA HOUSING CRISIS:
Do you struggle with housing or have you struggled with housing in the past? Are you currently homeless or know someone who is? Carmichael Outreach would like to invite you to join our walk in hopes to raise awareness surrounding Regina’s current housing crisis.
Date: Monday, May 13, 2013
Start Time: 12:00 pm
Walk will begin: North Central Community Association (1264 Athol St.)
Walk will end: In front of City Hall, approx 2:00 pm (2410 Victoria Avenue)
Following the walk Carmichael will hold a press conference where everyone will be invited to share their stories, ask questions regarding the city’s current housing strategy, and express any concerns. Come out and support your community and get people talking. We would like to hear your story!
If you have any questions or concerns regarding the walk please feel free to contact Laura Dieter or Alaina Harrison at carmichael.housing@accesscomm.ca . We can also be reached at Carmichael Outreach Inc. (306) 757-2235.
In what even the City of Regina admits is a ridiculous bylaw, it would appear that this week is far more about action than words. Within days of the Regina Housing Summit which is planned to occur May 13 & 14, news broke Monday with a CTV exclusive report (later reported by other local media outlets), and gaining more traction by the hour, the City of Regina is in some hot water as it tries to enforce a bylaw that, get this, prevents homeowners from renting out rooms in their house to "non-relatives" for "compensation". What's worse? This is perfectly allowable in that very same bylaw - IF THE OWNER DOESN'T LIVE THERE!!! Yes, you read that right Regina, both situations result in the same alleged inconveniences that those in "mid to upper scale neighbourhoods" complain to the City about, but yet, one is perfectly alright, while the other can land you with a $10,000 fine or up to a year in jail. Yep, that's your reward for helping with the Regina Housing Crisis, folks! FINED or IMPRISONMENT.
This is why I say, strongly, that actions speak far louder than words. No amount of "elitist" bullshit Housing Summit event, no matter how well-intended, can offset the horrible PR nightmare that is only just beginning for the City of Regina with this one ridiculous bylaw - or more to the point, the enforcement of said ridiculous bylaw. I recall at a recent housing "information" session (it was supposed to be Q&A, but a lot of people left with more Q's than A's), that the City Deputy Manager, Jason Carlston, himself, agreed this bylaw was outdated and needed to be ammended and/or reviewed. First off, I was blown away that this bylaw even existed at that time, but I thought, "thank goodness they aren't enforcing such a stupid bylaw." Then, BAM, Monday, here we go, enforcement. Keep in mind, folks, this is only the first such situation to be reported to the Media. How many others have silently allowed the City of Regina to walk all over them and evicted their tenants because they were afraid of the penalties that the City would enforce on them?
With the above in mind, and considering Regina is facing an extremely tight housing crisis (Vacancy at or below 1% for many months/years now), I STRONGLY encourage each and every one of you to do AT LEAST one of three things:
#1 - Phone your City Councillor and tell them to STOP ENFORCING THIS BYLAW until it has been reviewed and updated. Even the BYLAW ENFORCEMENT MANAGER has been quoted on TV as saying that it's a ridiculous bylaw, but "they have no choice but to enforce it". Actually, this is completely false. They do have the option to explain to the complainers about their honest concerns with this ridiculous bylaw and that they are looking into ways to address it. I believe that this would alleviate any concerns of those residents who are upset with the situations, on both sides.
#2 - Attend the Meeting at St. Martin's Parish on Thursday evening from 7-9pm, where the City has agreed to meet with residents about this utterly ridiculous situation. It is my personal hope that they will say "oops" and reverse this ludicrous decision until updates to the bylaws are made.
or
#3 - Take part in the "Enough Talk, Let's Walk" put on by Carmichael Outreach on Monday, May 13, 2013 at 12:00PM. Details below:
ATTENTION CITY OF REGINA TAXPAYERS CONCERNED ABOUT THE REGINA HOUSING CRISIS:
Do you struggle with housing or have you struggled with housing in the past? Are you currently homeless or know someone who is? Carmichael Outreach would like to invite you to join our walk in hopes to raise awareness surrounding Regina’s current housing crisis.
Date: Monday, May 13, 2013
Start Time: 12:00 pm
Walk will begin: North Central Community Association (1264 Athol St.)
Walk will end: In front of City Hall, approx 2:00 pm (2410 Victoria Avenue)
Following the walk Carmichael will hold a press conference where everyone will be invited to share their stories, ask questions regarding the city’s current housing strategy, and express any concerns. Come out and support your community and get people talking. We would like to hear your story!
If you have any questions or concerns regarding the walk please feel free to contact Laura Dieter or Alaina Harrison at carmichael.housing@accesscomm.ca . We can also be reached at Carmichael Outreach Inc. (306) 757-2235.
Tuesday, 7 May 2013
Community Approach to Solving Community Issues - Part One
Good afternoon Regina!
I hope everyone is out enjoying the sunshine and warmth the past couple of days, after the long winter we had! I enjoyed a lot of it outdoors, and now took a break to relax indoors. Too much sun and heat isn't necessarily the best thing either!
So, the other day, someone brought up the subject of my apparent "personal hatred" for certain individuals in this City and certain organizations. For the longest time, I simply laughed this off as something that people just brought up to find something, anything, to complain about what I do. Then, I decided, okay I'll ask the question "Is this what you honestly believe?" I was shocked, to say the least, to see the legitimate responses from some folks that I did not expect to see the response from. With that said, I guess I need to really clear the air as to why exactly it is that I have certain feelings towards certain individuals, and understand that I hold no hatred in my heart for any individual or organization, I simply want to ensure that no one ever gets a "free ride" in life, especially when it's on the taxpayer's dime. If they want to screw people over on their own dime, as much as I can't stand it, so be it. Go for it. Just don't ever expect me to ever support you or your efforts until you realize what wrongs you are doing in life, and you have made amends for those wrongs.
First off, regarding the Fiacco family, probably one of the most misunderstood issues, perpetuated by them and their (extended) family, and continual harassment from those that choose to associate themselves with this family, for whatever reason, personal gain or whatever. I want to make this 100% clear, up until February 14, 2012, I had the utmost respect for Mayor Pat Fiacco, and thought the world of him. Yes, believe it or not, I looked up to the man. Many called me out for idolizing him, but I was of the belief that until I see with my own eyes what these others are seeing or have seen, I see no reason to not believe the public image that he was portraying. Or at least the public image that his polished PR team was portraying. I did not know who any of the other Fiacco's were, nor did I care. To me, he was Mayor Pat, 12 year Mayor of our great City. The one who could do no wrong, the one that changed the image of our great City from one of a dark and dingy, "smelly", City, to one that many folks were proud to call home.
February 14 came around, and at the time when I was planning to run for City Council in Ward 8 against Mike O'Donnell, Mayor Pat holds a press conference, assumably to announce he is running again. To the shock and awe of many, he announced that he was stepping down. (My personal views on this will be discussed in a later posting - which changed from this date to later in the campaign) That was when I realized that my passion for affecting change in a positive fashion might just have been given the Golden Opportunity! My wife and I sat down and discussed it long and hard, and within the next 48 hours, I had placed a phone call to Mayor Pat's office to request a meeting with him. Many from his "extended family" assume, incorrectly, that the only purpose of this meeting was to get his endorsement. While I agree that would have been nice, that was not the intent of this meeting, whatsoever. In fact, if they keep recordings of all phone calls to the Mayor's office, I would invite you to do a Freedom of Information request to listen to that very conversation. All I wanted to do was get Mr. Fiacco's feedback on what it was like to run for Mayor and be Mayor from both a personal and professional standpoint, and if there was any feedback he could provide to someone brand new on the scene, similar to how he was 12 years prior. I was not wanting that meeting to be anything more than simply more food for thought for my wife and I to consider.
Unfortunately, I didn't receive a response till many days later. In fact, it was two days after Michael Fougere announced his intentions to run, where also Mayor Pat announced his endorsement of him. Many say it was a given, I call it a premature decision, but a year later, it is quite obvious that this was his intent all along, for weeks if not months prior to that. Regardless of what you'd been fed through the Media up to that point, that was the reality of it. Unfortunate, but still, worth the meeting for his personal feedback, or so I thought. The Mayor's office called to tell me that my meeting would happen with him on March 7, 2012, which happened to be two days after my planned March 5 Press Conference. Over the next two weeks, my life was a living Hell. I had plans SET IN STONE to use the City Square Plaza for my "big announcement" and even had the approval (signatures and all) to bring my vehicle onto the Plaza for the announcement. Now, a year later, it's obvious to realize just why it was so important for me to include my vehicle. I was thrown roadblock after roadblock after roadblock by the City (the details are far too lengthy to get into in this blog post), and finally by March 1, 2012, I had enough. I decided to cancel my meeting with Mayor Fiacco, and told his office "If he wants to meet with me at a later date, he can, but the reason for my meeting with him is now pointless." - in other words, I had witnessed first hand just what that office was capable of (professional feedback) and what he thought of anyone daring to challenge the norm (personal feedback).
There is much more I could go into right now, but that should be saved for a future posting. Suffice it to say, this was the beginning of my disgusting interactions with his Executive Assistant, Mr. Mark Rathwell, and still to that day, I didn't have a clue about any of the Fiacco family.
Have a great Regina day everyone!!
I hope everyone is out enjoying the sunshine and warmth the past couple of days, after the long winter we had! I enjoyed a lot of it outdoors, and now took a break to relax indoors. Too much sun and heat isn't necessarily the best thing either!
So, the other day, someone brought up the subject of my apparent "personal hatred" for certain individuals in this City and certain organizations. For the longest time, I simply laughed this off as something that people just brought up to find something, anything, to complain about what I do. Then, I decided, okay I'll ask the question "Is this what you honestly believe?" I was shocked, to say the least, to see the legitimate responses from some folks that I did not expect to see the response from. With that said, I guess I need to really clear the air as to why exactly it is that I have certain feelings towards certain individuals, and understand that I hold no hatred in my heart for any individual or organization, I simply want to ensure that no one ever gets a "free ride" in life, especially when it's on the taxpayer's dime. If they want to screw people over on their own dime, as much as I can't stand it, so be it. Go for it. Just don't ever expect me to ever support you or your efforts until you realize what wrongs you are doing in life, and you have made amends for those wrongs.
First off, regarding the Fiacco family, probably one of the most misunderstood issues, perpetuated by them and their (extended) family, and continual harassment from those that choose to associate themselves with this family, for whatever reason, personal gain or whatever. I want to make this 100% clear, up until February 14, 2012, I had the utmost respect for Mayor Pat Fiacco, and thought the world of him. Yes, believe it or not, I looked up to the man. Many called me out for idolizing him, but I was of the belief that until I see with my own eyes what these others are seeing or have seen, I see no reason to not believe the public image that he was portraying. Or at least the public image that his polished PR team was portraying. I did not know who any of the other Fiacco's were, nor did I care. To me, he was Mayor Pat, 12 year Mayor of our great City. The one who could do no wrong, the one that changed the image of our great City from one of a dark and dingy, "smelly", City, to one that many folks were proud to call home.
February 14 came around, and at the time when I was planning to run for City Council in Ward 8 against Mike O'Donnell, Mayor Pat holds a press conference, assumably to announce he is running again. To the shock and awe of many, he announced that he was stepping down. (My personal views on this will be discussed in a later posting - which changed from this date to later in the campaign) That was when I realized that my passion for affecting change in a positive fashion might just have been given the Golden Opportunity! My wife and I sat down and discussed it long and hard, and within the next 48 hours, I had placed a phone call to Mayor Pat's office to request a meeting with him. Many from his "extended family" assume, incorrectly, that the only purpose of this meeting was to get his endorsement. While I agree that would have been nice, that was not the intent of this meeting, whatsoever. In fact, if they keep recordings of all phone calls to the Mayor's office, I would invite you to do a Freedom of Information request to listen to that very conversation. All I wanted to do was get Mr. Fiacco's feedback on what it was like to run for Mayor and be Mayor from both a personal and professional standpoint, and if there was any feedback he could provide to someone brand new on the scene, similar to how he was 12 years prior. I was not wanting that meeting to be anything more than simply more food for thought for my wife and I to consider.
Unfortunately, I didn't receive a response till many days later. In fact, it was two days after Michael Fougere announced his intentions to run, where also Mayor Pat announced his endorsement of him. Many say it was a given, I call it a premature decision, but a year later, it is quite obvious that this was his intent all along, for weeks if not months prior to that. Regardless of what you'd been fed through the Media up to that point, that was the reality of it. Unfortunate, but still, worth the meeting for his personal feedback, or so I thought. The Mayor's office called to tell me that my meeting would happen with him on March 7, 2012, which happened to be two days after my planned March 5 Press Conference. Over the next two weeks, my life was a living Hell. I had plans SET IN STONE to use the City Square Plaza for my "big announcement" and even had the approval (signatures and all) to bring my vehicle onto the Plaza for the announcement. Now, a year later, it's obvious to realize just why it was so important for me to include my vehicle. I was thrown roadblock after roadblock after roadblock by the City (the details are far too lengthy to get into in this blog post), and finally by March 1, 2012, I had enough. I decided to cancel my meeting with Mayor Fiacco, and told his office "If he wants to meet with me at a later date, he can, but the reason for my meeting with him is now pointless." - in other words, I had witnessed first hand just what that office was capable of (professional feedback) and what he thought of anyone daring to challenge the norm (personal feedback).
There is much more I could go into right now, but that should be saved for a future posting. Suffice it to say, this was the beginning of my disgusting interactions with his Executive Assistant, Mr. Mark Rathwell, and still to that day, I didn't have a clue about any of the Fiacco family.
Have a great Regina day everyone!!
Stay tuned for Part Two - Discussing issues with the RPS and more!
Wednesday, 1 May 2013
Friendly Reminder of Random Acts of Kindness
Good morning Regina!!
A couple of weeks ago, I took it upon myself to try to extend an olive branch to those that did harm to me over the past year, by doing one simple gesture in an attempt to "Pay It Forward". I had helped out with the Kim and Ashlee's Bake A Difference program (which I continue to support to this day - just choose to remain behind the scenes on it due to the actions of certain individuals in this City), and I thought it would be a show of good faith to those that wronged me during the 2012 Civic Election, and continue to do to this very day. Overall, the response was positive, except for a couple of key individuals. Unfortunately, when I tweeted about those that refused this kind gesture, I was, ironically, attacked and lambasted by anyone that these individuals could share the "dire" news with. So much so that, in fact, someone actually created a Twitter Account called @LaCookieMunsta (Cookie Monster) to make fun of my attempt to spread kindness; apparently their version of humour.
So, in the end, I lost sight of the original intent of why I wanted to extend that hand of kindness, and lost sight of the original intent of Kim and Ashlee's Bake A Difference campaign. Understandably, they are assumably leery about being publicly associated with me, when there are many great customers of theirs that are also associated with those that choose to attack me on an ongoing basis. Nothing much I can do about that, and I am certainly not going to ask them to refuse to serve certain customers. I had hoped that they would at least correspond with me about their concerns about this, and possibly help in some way to spread that same kindness that they are doing to combat those from their own experiences.
Do I think I am innocent on this whole cyber bullying issue? Absolutely not! But do I deserve the constant harassment and attacks by the Fiaccos, and their extended famly and friends? Absolutely not! It has gotten so disgusting that they are no longer hiding anonymously, or behind the scenes when telling people not to associate with me. They have actually gone to posting these kinds of things publicly on Twitter. If the person that manages the Regina Police Service's social media account wasn't so "friendly" with the Fiaccos and their extended family, perhaps she might take this a bit more seriously and start cracking down on this kind of activity. She certainly has no problem addressing it when they are reporting my behaviour as "bullying/stalking/threatening". Oh well, tis life, all I can do is continue to focus on the positive, and hopefully they will eventually go away (even months after the election, they have not, but who knows, right?).
Just so all of my readers fully understand this (most already do), I do not have any obsession with Melissa Fiacco. Never have, never will. I have no desire to be associated with her practices in any way, business or otherwise. I have never stalked, attacked or harassed her. Yes, there have been posts on Twitter about her; but, being the former mayor's daughter, and someone with her supposed PR experience and "public life" experience, she should be very well prepared for this kind of scrutiny. Especially when a good portion of her life "back home" has been on the public dime, with the Regina Regional Opportunities Commission (aka Tourism Regina now), and her role with Saskatchewan Fashion Week, which is a benefactor of funding from the City of Regina (your tax dollars). For anyone unfamiliar with this event, from what I understand, it is an exclusive event to raise the profile of the Fashion Industry in Regina and "Saskatchewan", and is not free to the public, nor do any of the profits go to any charitable organizations, that I am aware of anyways. And, as far as I am aware, Melissa Fiacco is in charge of their PR, or at least a portion of it, including their Social Media - for now, anyways. It's a shame, really, because I really like the idea of their business model otherwise.
When Melissa's family and/or friends accuse me of harassing or stalking her because I dare to retweet her disgusting tweets (calling those that voted for me "Assholes" and calling those that protest in humour for Spring "Deadbeat Losers" for example), they claim that she is a "private citizen who doesn't deserve public scrutiny". However, anytime that I post anything potentially derogatory, apparently I'm supposed to just accept it (even from the Regina Police Service) because I'm "in the public life now" and I'm "supposed to get used to it". For anyone that's familiar with her dad, former Regina Mayor Pat Fiacco, you will know that he was notoriously thin skinned with the media, and apparently the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree. She has had 28 years to get used to "living in the public light", and I've only had a year. And, what's worse is that I'm not even running for office right now, simply trying to go back to being a "regular citizen" of Regina. She's also been allegedly professionaly trained in Public Relations, and yet, she continues to trip over her own feet with extremely offensive comments like those I posted above, and we are supposed to ignore this?? Sorry, Melissa and family/friends (#yqrmafia), but no, I will not, and neither will the hundreds of others that your family has been "less than cordial to" in the past decade or so.
Have a great day everyone!
Here is the post that Kim and Ashlee's recently posted that reminded me that I certainly lost sight of the original intentions of their campaign.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The “Day of Pink” is over and many people assume Bake A Difference
is over too. This is not true and we would like to explain why.
Even though we originally started out to fight bullying, and we still are, our Bake A Difference has begun to evolve into something more, completely on its own accord.
It has transformed into a “kindness” campaign also. Bullying happens all year long and kindness can be shown all year long. One day to bring attention to it is nothing short of awesome, but we want this to be something that is practiced every day.
It is so easy to not be kind, especially when you feel victimized. I honestly believe that this is one of the biggest problems that creates and leads up to bullying. It is so easy to cross over the threshold of victim to bully, without ever realizing that you have done it. You feel you have been wronged and do not get the satisfaction of having that wrong corrected. Then what? This is the threshold. How do you react? How do you handle it? Sustained meanness and harassment is bullying. But what is it when you trash the person at customer service or the waitress at a restaurant? Maybe one instance doesn’t make you a bully, but it is the same mind set as a bully. You want justice, you demand justice. You want restitution, compensation. But what happens when you don’t get it? How do you react? To me, this is when a person’s integrity and character shows through. It is easy to be kind to someone who is being kind to you. How you react in a situation in which you feel victimized or angry shows your character.
I have lived through this myself and can honestly say that my integrity was put to the test. After we posted the first couple of blogs about the boycott page, the response was enormous and overwhelming. We were emailed information with instructions on how we could damage and destroy each and every person in the boycott page. Every single one. And no one would know it was us. No one. My anger over the past two years was limitless. The temptation was almost unbearable. I forced myself to wait one month to see what would happen. I wanted to, I really wanted to. But I didn’t reciprocate the meanness and unforgivingness, I couldn’t. Did I say I wanted to?
What we are trying to say is that Bake A Difference isn’t about giving cookies. It is about raising expectations of kindness. Believe me, it is hard to not be kind when it is expected of you. Or when it is given to you When a child hands out the cookies and everyone comments on how kind they are, what will that create in the child? It is easy to be kind to someone who is kind to you. So be that person who is being kind…even when you are angry or feel victimized. The kinder you are the less you will feel like a victim and the more it will not even matter any more. Kindness restored my faith in humanity, it will yours, too.
A couple of weeks ago, I took it upon myself to try to extend an olive branch to those that did harm to me over the past year, by doing one simple gesture in an attempt to "Pay It Forward". I had helped out with the Kim and Ashlee's Bake A Difference program (which I continue to support to this day - just choose to remain behind the scenes on it due to the actions of certain individuals in this City), and I thought it would be a show of good faith to those that wronged me during the 2012 Civic Election, and continue to do to this very day. Overall, the response was positive, except for a couple of key individuals. Unfortunately, when I tweeted about those that refused this kind gesture, I was, ironically, attacked and lambasted by anyone that these individuals could share the "dire" news with. So much so that, in fact, someone actually created a Twitter Account called @LaCookieMunsta (Cookie Monster) to make fun of my attempt to spread kindness; apparently their version of humour.
So, in the end, I lost sight of the original intent of why I wanted to extend that hand of kindness, and lost sight of the original intent of Kim and Ashlee's Bake A Difference campaign. Understandably, they are assumably leery about being publicly associated with me, when there are many great customers of theirs that are also associated with those that choose to attack me on an ongoing basis. Nothing much I can do about that, and I am certainly not going to ask them to refuse to serve certain customers. I had hoped that they would at least correspond with me about their concerns about this, and possibly help in some way to spread that same kindness that they are doing to combat those from their own experiences.
Do I think I am innocent on this whole cyber bullying issue? Absolutely not! But do I deserve the constant harassment and attacks by the Fiaccos, and their extended famly and friends? Absolutely not! It has gotten so disgusting that they are no longer hiding anonymously, or behind the scenes when telling people not to associate with me. They have actually gone to posting these kinds of things publicly on Twitter. If the person that manages the Regina Police Service's social media account wasn't so "friendly" with the Fiaccos and their extended family, perhaps she might take this a bit more seriously and start cracking down on this kind of activity. She certainly has no problem addressing it when they are reporting my behaviour as "bullying/stalking/threatening". Oh well, tis life, all I can do is continue to focus on the positive, and hopefully they will eventually go away (even months after the election, they have not, but who knows, right?).
Just so all of my readers fully understand this (most already do), I do not have any obsession with Melissa Fiacco. Never have, never will. I have no desire to be associated with her practices in any way, business or otherwise. I have never stalked, attacked or harassed her. Yes, there have been posts on Twitter about her; but, being the former mayor's daughter, and someone with her supposed PR experience and "public life" experience, she should be very well prepared for this kind of scrutiny. Especially when a good portion of her life "back home" has been on the public dime, with the Regina Regional Opportunities Commission (aka Tourism Regina now), and her role with Saskatchewan Fashion Week, which is a benefactor of funding from the City of Regina (your tax dollars). For anyone unfamiliar with this event, from what I understand, it is an exclusive event to raise the profile of the Fashion Industry in Regina and "Saskatchewan", and is not free to the public, nor do any of the profits go to any charitable organizations, that I am aware of anyways. And, as far as I am aware, Melissa Fiacco is in charge of their PR, or at least a portion of it, including their Social Media - for now, anyways. It's a shame, really, because I really like the idea of their business model otherwise.
When Melissa's family and/or friends accuse me of harassing or stalking her because I dare to retweet her disgusting tweets (calling those that voted for me "Assholes" and calling those that protest in humour for Spring "Deadbeat Losers" for example), they claim that she is a "private citizen who doesn't deserve public scrutiny". However, anytime that I post anything potentially derogatory, apparently I'm supposed to just accept it (even from the Regina Police Service) because I'm "in the public life now" and I'm "supposed to get used to it". For anyone that's familiar with her dad, former Regina Mayor Pat Fiacco, you will know that he was notoriously thin skinned with the media, and apparently the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree. She has had 28 years to get used to "living in the public light", and I've only had a year. And, what's worse is that I'm not even running for office right now, simply trying to go back to being a "regular citizen" of Regina. She's also been allegedly professionaly trained in Public Relations, and yet, she continues to trip over her own feet with extremely offensive comments like those I posted above, and we are supposed to ignore this?? Sorry, Melissa and family/friends (#yqrmafia), but no, I will not, and neither will the hundreds of others that your family has been "less than cordial to" in the past decade or so.
So, in the end, for now, all I can do is try to continue to ignore her ignorant behaviour, and that of her (extended) family and friends. I will continue to pursue my dreams, and look towards the positive future that the Lord has in store for me and my darling wife.
Have a great day everyone!
Here is the post that Kim and Ashlee's recently posted that reminded me that I certainly lost sight of the original intentions of their campaign.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kindness Starts with One
Even though we originally started out to fight bullying, and we still are, our Bake A Difference has begun to evolve into something more, completely on its own accord.
It has transformed into a “kindness” campaign also. Bullying happens all year long and kindness can be shown all year long. One day to bring attention to it is nothing short of awesome, but we want this to be something that is practiced every day.
It is so easy to not be kind, especially when you feel victimized. I honestly believe that this is one of the biggest problems that creates and leads up to bullying. It is so easy to cross over the threshold of victim to bully, without ever realizing that you have done it. You feel you have been wronged and do not get the satisfaction of having that wrong corrected. Then what? This is the threshold. How do you react? How do you handle it? Sustained meanness and harassment is bullying. But what is it when you trash the person at customer service or the waitress at a restaurant? Maybe one instance doesn’t make you a bully, but it is the same mind set as a bully. You want justice, you demand justice. You want restitution, compensation. But what happens when you don’t get it? How do you react? To me, this is when a person’s integrity and character shows through. It is easy to be kind to someone who is being kind to you. How you react in a situation in which you feel victimized or angry shows your character.
I have lived through this myself and can honestly say that my integrity was put to the test. After we posted the first couple of blogs about the boycott page, the response was enormous and overwhelming. We were emailed information with instructions on how we could damage and destroy each and every person in the boycott page. Every single one. And no one would know it was us. No one. My anger over the past two years was limitless. The temptation was almost unbearable. I forced myself to wait one month to see what would happen. I wanted to, I really wanted to. But I didn’t reciprocate the meanness and unforgivingness, I couldn’t. Did I say I wanted to?
What we are trying to say is that Bake A Difference isn’t about giving cookies. It is about raising expectations of kindness. Believe me, it is hard to not be kind when it is expected of you. Or when it is given to you When a child hands out the cookies and everyone comments on how kind they are, what will that create in the child? It is easy to be kind to someone who is kind to you. So be that person who is being kind…even when you are angry or feel victimized. The kinder you are the less you will feel like a victim and the more it will not even matter any more. Kindness restored my faith in humanity, it will yours, too.
Thursday, 25 April 2013
Can I Make It As A Radio DJ??
Update: April 26, 2013: Here is the podcast of my radio debut. What do you think? Note, there are some technical issues I noticed in the podcast. I'm not sure if they appeared in the original broadcast, but they were not my doing. https://soundcloud.com/vergeradio/novak-audition
Good morning Regina!!!!
This week has been absolutely tremendous! I have had the pleasure of meeting with some amazing Regina folks this week, and it's because of these meetings that I think some really positive things are going to happen in my life, and hopefully for Regina. One of these meetings was with a representative of the brand new online radio station, Verge Radio Regina (www.vergeradio.ca). We discussed the posibility of myself becoming a DJ on their station, and while leery, the representative was intrigued by the possiblities it could present, and I get my chance today to do just that!!!
Tune in today, Thursday, from 4-5pm Saskatchewan Time to www.vergeradio.ca or on your TuneIn app available on iPhone, iPad, and Android to hear my radio debut!! Keep in mind it is strictly an audition at this point, so I'll have to do my best to impress each and every one of you. Will I have what it takes to make a great radio DJ? Only one way to find out! Listen In!! And, for those that cannot listen in, there will be a podcast available for download at a later time.
What is Verge Radio? What is Internet Radio? Basically, the Wild West side of the internet, taking full advantage of the "no rules" side of things that traditional radio has to abide by (CRTC guidelines). Consider it more of the idea that we are simply playing a list of our songs on our computers, and you get to listen in. There's a lot more to it than that, but that's the basic concept behind it. Why would anyone want to do this? Well, the possibilities are truly endless! Some of the advantages that sells me on it is it is 100% uncensored, free to say what we want, when we want (within reason of course), and the best part of it, being able to play the music we want, with a special focus on true interactivity from you, the listener. This allows us to focus not on what our corporate bosses or special interests tell us, but to give the local talent a true opportunity to get that radio time that they so deserve.
Have a grrrrrrrrreat Regina day everyone!!
Good morning Regina!!!!
This week has been absolutely tremendous! I have had the pleasure of meeting with some amazing Regina folks this week, and it's because of these meetings that I think some really positive things are going to happen in my life, and hopefully for Regina. One of these meetings was with a representative of the brand new online radio station, Verge Radio Regina (www.vergeradio.ca). We discussed the posibility of myself becoming a DJ on their station, and while leery, the representative was intrigued by the possiblities it could present, and I get my chance today to do just that!!!
Tune in today, Thursday, from 4-5pm Saskatchewan Time to www.vergeradio.ca or on your TuneIn app available on iPhone, iPad, and Android to hear my radio debut!! Keep in mind it is strictly an audition at this point, so I'll have to do my best to impress each and every one of you. Will I have what it takes to make a great radio DJ? Only one way to find out! Listen In!! And, for those that cannot listen in, there will be a podcast available for download at a later time.
What is Verge Radio? What is Internet Radio? Basically, the Wild West side of the internet, taking full advantage of the "no rules" side of things that traditional radio has to abide by (CRTC guidelines). Consider it more of the idea that we are simply playing a list of our songs on our computers, and you get to listen in. There's a lot more to it than that, but that's the basic concept behind it. Why would anyone want to do this? Well, the possibilities are truly endless! Some of the advantages that sells me on it is it is 100% uncensored, free to say what we want, when we want (within reason of course), and the best part of it, being able to play the music we want, with a special focus on true interactivity from you, the listener. This allows us to focus not on what our corporate bosses or special interests tell us, but to give the local talent a true opportunity to get that radio time that they so deserve.
Verge Radio - The Next Big Thing for Regina - And the Globe!
Have a grrrrrrrrreat Regina day everyone!!
Monday, 22 April 2013
Forgive Those Who Have Sinned Against Us
Good Morning Regina!!!!
Okay, I am going to take a bit of a risk here, and post something that may offend some. Myself, being a Christian, I believe strongly in Jesus Christ and what he has done for us, most notably dying on the Cross for our Sins. I do not go around preaching to everyone, nor do I attend Church on a regular basis, in fact I rarely go. I do not believe in pushing my beliefs on others, nor do I think you have to attend a physical place to have God in your life. With that said, I ask that you respect my choice to post this here, and if it offends your beliefs, I apologize in advance.
My dear sister posted this on her Facebook today, and I felt it was very appropriate for me to post here today. I have posted some pretty negative things on Twitter, over the past few days directed at the Fiacco family, even though I continue to try to push forward, being as positive as I can. I have been reminded by quite a few great people that I should let go of those issues, and try to remain focused on the positive going forward. I will continue to post the findings of the 2012 Civic Election for you to review, but what you do with that information is your choice. I will try very hard to no longer take personal shots at anyone in the Fiacco family, or any of their friends or family. I emphasize - TRY - we are all human. PLEASE call me to account if you see me getting out of line on Twitter again.
Thank you and enjoy. All words courtesy of my dear sister Sheri Gordon:
Okay, I am going to take a bit of a risk here, and post something that may offend some. Myself, being a Christian, I believe strongly in Jesus Christ and what he has done for us, most notably dying on the Cross for our Sins. I do not go around preaching to everyone, nor do I attend Church on a regular basis, in fact I rarely go. I do not believe in pushing my beliefs on others, nor do I think you have to attend a physical place to have God in your life. With that said, I ask that you respect my choice to post this here, and if it offends your beliefs, I apologize in advance.
My dear sister posted this on her Facebook today, and I felt it was very appropriate for me to post here today. I have posted some pretty negative things on Twitter, over the past few days directed at the Fiacco family, even though I continue to try to push forward, being as positive as I can. I have been reminded by quite a few great people that I should let go of those issues, and try to remain focused on the positive going forward. I will continue to post the findings of the 2012 Civic Election for you to review, but what you do with that information is your choice. I will try very hard to no longer take personal shots at anyone in the Fiacco family, or any of their friends or family. I emphasize - TRY - we are all human. PLEASE call me to account if you see me getting out of line on Twitter again.
Thank you and enjoy. All words courtesy of my dear sister Sheri Gordon:
Friday, 19 April 2013
Major Historical OUTDOOR Concert Coming to Regina!!!
UPDATE April 22, 2013: Guess it's Paul McCartney coming after all. Ahh well, it was more fun to guess. Who's planning on going? For the beginning price of $35, I think I may just have to check it out!
Good afternoon Regina!!!
I was so very, very pleased to get this come across my Facebook feed today, where Moose Jaw's online news source has beaten any Regina media outlet to the announcement of a "Major Historical Outdoor Concert" at Mosaic Stadium, to be unveiled on Monday. At least, I haven't seen any Regina media outlet break this news yet.
Source: http://www.discovermoosejaw.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=29011&Itemid=902
Why am I so excited about this? Well, for many reasons! #1 being that this will demonstrate to anyone out there that deems Mosaic Stadium (At Taylor Field) to be "too outdated and unsafe" to host another outdoor major concert, that we in deed CAN and WILL. This puts to rest any of the false statements by the former and current City Council and anyone that was publicly touting the flawed reasoning for wanting a new facility. #2 is that, whoever it will be, it's going to be a big name. Why? Because you have to be a pretty big name to play in a Stadium that (this summer) can hold upwards of 50,000+ (plus on-field seating/mosh area). And #3 is that it is actually a partnership between the world's largest entertainment promoter, Live Nation, and Mosaic Stadium. And, not like past years where it was all about Pat Fiacco making the big announcement, in an attempt to make his ego even bigger. Of course Premier Wall and Mayor Fougere will be there to announce it, but they are confirming that the Live Nation Canada President, Paul Haagenson, will be in attendance to make the announcement. Historic in any case.
After a quick Google Search, I've come across a few Stadium Shows scheduled for Live Nation in 2013, and the only one that I can see that would make sense is Beyonce. For anyone that isn't familiar with Beyonce, well, I recommend you get out of the house once in a while. Yes, she's not for everyone, but there is one thing I tremendously respect about Ms. Knowles. She is above all, a humanitarian, giving back as much as she gets, if not more. I post the following video for your review.
Good afternoon Regina!!!
I was so very, very pleased to get this come across my Facebook feed today, where Moose Jaw's online news source has beaten any Regina media outlet to the announcement of a "Major Historical Outdoor Concert" at Mosaic Stadium, to be unveiled on Monday. At least, I haven't seen any Regina media outlet break this news yet.
Source: http://www.discovermoosejaw.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=29011&Itemid=902
Why am I so excited about this? Well, for many reasons! #1 being that this will demonstrate to anyone out there that deems Mosaic Stadium (At Taylor Field) to be "too outdated and unsafe" to host another outdoor major concert, that we in deed CAN and WILL. This puts to rest any of the false statements by the former and current City Council and anyone that was publicly touting the flawed reasoning for wanting a new facility. #2 is that, whoever it will be, it's going to be a big name. Why? Because you have to be a pretty big name to play in a Stadium that (this summer) can hold upwards of 50,000+ (plus on-field seating/mosh area). And #3 is that it is actually a partnership between the world's largest entertainment promoter, Live Nation, and Mosaic Stadium. And, not like past years where it was all about Pat Fiacco making the big announcement, in an attempt to make his ego even bigger. Of course Premier Wall and Mayor Fougere will be there to announce it, but they are confirming that the Live Nation Canada President, Paul Haagenson, will be in attendance to make the announcement. Historic in any case.
After a quick Google Search, I've come across a few Stadium Shows scheduled for Live Nation in 2013, and the only one that I can see that would make sense is Beyonce. For anyone that isn't familiar with Beyonce, well, I recommend you get out of the house once in a while. Yes, she's not for everyone, but there is one thing I tremendously respect about Ms. Knowles. She is above all, a humanitarian, giving back as much as she gets, if not more. I post the following video for your review.
And, with that, I say have a GRRRREAT REGINA DAY!!!!
Thursday, 18 April 2013
More Full Disclosure
UPDATE: April 18, 2013 3:00PM Saskatchewan Time
FULL PUBLIC DISCLOSURE FROM REGINA 2012 CIVIC ELECTION:
Over the next little while, I will be posting information that I have been sitting on for months, regarding the 2012 Civic Election. I have been battling which is the ethically appropriate avenue to take regarding this information. I have also contacted all parties involved, or at least attempted to contact them, to allow them the opportunity to fully disclose their involvement. Unfortunately, few thought I would go past the point of contacting them, and some threatened me with legal action if I released the information. I say to them: Bring It On! They are fully aware, or should be, that I have stacks of information, and many sources on the information, that I am releasing to the public.
I would not be stupid enough to make this public without ensuring the information I release is as factual as possible, and I am fully prepared for any legal battle that may ensue.
Why have I not taken this to the police? I have. To the Regina Police Service. No luck there, the best explanation I could get from them is "You're a public figure now, whether you like it or not. You are going to have to learn to deal with these kinds of interactions." I have not yet approached the RCMP on this case, but I am aware there is at least one open investigation regarding the 2012 Regina Civic Election, and I am ready and willing to participate and cooperate with them, should they so choose to contact me.
Anyone that paid attention to the election, knows that I am all about being completely public about everything, and thus, I would rather give the information to the general public than to any investigation first. I have learned that intense public scrutiny gets more action from those involved, than anything else. Thus the continued attempts to silence me with any approach possible, legal, intimidation, whatever they felt would work.ATTENTION MEDIA:
I am available for interviews to discuss any matters that are posted on this blog. I would strongly encourage any media outlets to first contact the listed individuals prior to contacting me, as I would like to give them first chance to explain their alleged actions. You may contact me through my email listed above, or my Twitter @cavon76.
Original Post:
Good morning Regina!!
Another late night, another post of some full disclosure information. The following images are two posts that I recently posted in the riderfans.com Rider Forum, an online forum owned by Govind Achyuthan of Calgary, AB, an avid Rider fan. This was one of two online forums that I began posting on back in February 2012, before even announcing to the public that I was running for Mayor. I figured it was a great market research tool, and it proved to be tremendous for the most part. And, then...something happened. The posts took over a life of their own, which is fine. There have been multiple threads created by others (and random posts) about myself and my campaign, and these were some of the top viewed pages of all time on the forum's 10 year history, surpassing even historic Roughrider Quarterbacks. I don't say this to boast, simply to say that I was blown away that people would go to that length just to talk about a relatively unknown mayoral candidate, such as myself. Relatively unknown, of course, until the infamous Restraining Order pursuit against Mark Rathwell in May 2012. But...that is just background information to let you know why I participated in the RidersFans forum.
Here are the two recent posts by myself, responding to probably one of my most die-hard challengers since about the third day of me posting on the site. "Lyin' Guy" based out of Vancouver, BC.
I present the below, full disclosure conversation between an anonymous individual who works at City Hall, that was sent to me the night of the election, via Private Message. I have tried to block the identity of the anonymous user's "fake" account, as it was a promise to him/her not to disclose their identity. It is important to note that since that date, I had requested a meeting with Mr. Mark Allen, President of Evraz Place (Regina Exhibition Association Limited), and was outright refused by his Executive Assistant. In fact, rather than being granted a meeting, within mere hours of that request, I received a phone call from their lawyer instead, who strongly cautioned me on releasing any information that may present Evraz Place in a negative light in terms of the election. After months of deliberation, it is time to put it all on the table. By posting the conversation, it clearly demonstrates the activity of employees of Evraz and City Hall employees, which may or may not have been done while on the job. I am not concerned with that aspect, I am much more concerned with the individuals identified, as should you.
What began this conversation was the question from this individual "Do you want to know who FakeChadNovak was?". (@FakeChadNovak was the original parody Twitter account created with an apparent intent to make my Twitter campaign less effective - See Daily Dot story here: http://www.dailydot.com/politics/mayor-chad-novak-twitter-spam-trolls/)
DISCLAIMER: The information contained in this post is provided solely for information purposes, and I am only posting the information so that anyone who thought my "outrageous claims" of election tampering were idle threats, can finally be satisifed and hopefully let me get on with my life, once again, in a positive way. And, yes, I do have much, much more that I can and may post in the future. Thank you for your continued support.
Wednesday, 17 April 2013
Enough is enough...
Good morning Regina!!
It is about midnight when I am posting this, and I know most of you won't read this until morning, but I have had some interactions with some folks (both anonymous and real identities) tonight on Twitter that is making me realize that if I don't start posting the mounds of information I have about the claims I made during the 2012 Civic Election, the continued online harassment will continue seemingly forever.
I submit to you the following screen capture of my few "sneak peek" Tweets tonight, for your review. As I state, I do not post these for any nefarious reasons, solely to begin releasing key information that is intended only to support the statements I have made over the past year about the serious issues that I had dealt with during and after the election. It is my hope that by starting to post some of this information, it will make those anonymous folks realize that I do have the mounds of support that I have always claimed to have, and perhaps they will finally stop harassing me, and perhaps get behind me to publicly identify those that were involved in these dirty practices. Perhaps, even, those that are guilty of the alleged offenses will come forward, before the RCMP do.
Have a great day everyone!
It is about midnight when I am posting this, and I know most of you won't read this until morning, but I have had some interactions with some folks (both anonymous and real identities) tonight on Twitter that is making me realize that if I don't start posting the mounds of information I have about the claims I made during the 2012 Civic Election, the continued online harassment will continue seemingly forever.
I submit to you the following screen capture of my few "sneak peek" Tweets tonight, for your review. As I state, I do not post these for any nefarious reasons, solely to begin releasing key information that is intended only to support the statements I have made over the past year about the serious issues that I had dealt with during and after the election. It is my hope that by starting to post some of this information, it will make those anonymous folks realize that I do have the mounds of support that I have always claimed to have, and perhaps they will finally stop harassing me, and perhaps get behind me to publicly identify those that were involved in these dirty practices. Perhaps, even, those that are guilty of the alleged offenses will come forward, before the RCMP do.
Have a great day everyone!
Wednesday, 10 April 2013
City Council and the Media
Good afternoon Regina!!
After thinking about the way the media has been treating the past and current City Council, I couldn't help but recall some of the serious issues that our former mayor had with the media. This is most likely the reason a lot of Regina media outlets are afraid to ask the real tough questions of Mayor Fougere and others. Well, that is, until recently. I must give a big shout out to Sheila Coles and CBC for asking those really tough questions in her recent radio interviews with the Mayor; the ones that really no one else dares to ask. Also, to CTV Regina Morning Live, where I saw yesterday they didn't pussyfoot around the serious questions about the massive debt that Mayor Fougere wants to put on the taxpayers of Regina. (Current Debt = $82M -> Projected Debt = $450M - a 550% increase, and no guarantee that is the end of the debt)
If it weren't for those tough questions, the taxpayers might think that everything in Regina is all glorious, when in reality it is anything but. I think this is a good reason why my approach to the election last year was not well received, because a lot of people did not actually realize how serious the issues were that are present at City Hall and City Council. Here's hoping the rest of Regina Media become more willing to ask those necessary, albeit tough, questions that truly inform the residents of Regina. I would much rather financially support a media outlet that isn't presenting a skewed version of City Hall.
Thankfully, Prairie Dog has taken the hard nosed approach since day one, and I think that is one of the big reasons that I respect their paper, and their resident City Hall reporter, Paul Dechene. Below is Mr. Dechene's summary of Pat Fiacco's very public battles with the press. Well, only a few of them. Enjoy!
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PAT VS. THE PRESS
Without a doubt, Pat Fiacco is a popular mayor. So popular that even the media seems to be in love with him sometimes. But has that general air of approval affected city journalism in this town?
Has Mayor Pat been given a pass by the media?
"There hasn't been a lot of really heavy scrutiny of his term," says Patricia Elliott, a journalism professor at the University of Regina. "You have these media chains who aren't that interested in giving resources to local coverage so there's a lot of understaffing for city coverage.
"But then you've also got a mayor who's famously thin-skinned and the city is a big advertiser," she continues. "And he's let his displeasure be known to many a publisher and editor when he doesn't like something he sees in the media. So I believe there's a tendency to back off or to show him support in the editorial pages."
Most will remember the Maclean's incident of 2007. After the magazine ran a story calling inner-city Regina Canada's worst neighbourhood, Fiacco was involved in the ambush and subsequent lecture of a reporter from the magazine, who'd been lured to the city by the promise of a neighbourhood ride-along.
Then there was a 2008 incident where Fiacco accused CBC reporter John Weidlich of giving him a single-figure salute at a press scrum. Weidlich was cleared of the charge by CBC.
And then there's Roger Currie, host of Access 7's Talk of the Town. He's also run afoul of Fiacco.
It all started during the autumn snow storm in 2010. City hall came under fire because residential streets were a total mess and city crews weren't clearing them fast enough. At the time, Currie was working at CKRM where he was doing daily commentaries.
"I wasn't there but Pat was doing a scrum," says Currie. "And people were asking him, 'What are you going to do about the residential streets?' And he looked at the camera and kind of smiled and said, 'I'm not hearing any complaints.'
"So I did a little thing about the whole issue and one line I threw in struck a chord, I guess. I said, 'Mr. Mayor, I think you should get out a little more often and not just go to fancy dinners and boxing events.'
"[Fiacco] didn't come to me at all. He went straight to the manager of the radio station. So I was called in and told this was perhaps inappropriate and maybe I should apologize. Which I did. But without a huge amount of sincerity.
"I thought it was a not a particularly venomous kind of shot. But I've never spoken to him since.
"And now I'm over at Access doing Talk of the Town and when the city budget came down, I sent a note to [Fiacco's senior advisor] Mark Rathwell asking if there was any chance the mayor might come on to talk about the budget. We went back and forth but the message was pretty clear that, no, hell would freeze first."
So between a reputedly prickly mayor's office and city beats that are under-supported, you wind up with a lot less serious digging going on at city hall.
"That's a problem for democracy," says Elliott. "That's why we get these lopsided elections where 85 per cent are in favour of him.
"Any time you see lopsided results like that, I think you have a media deficit or a democratic deficit at some point. Because nobody's perfect." /Paul Dechene (http://www.prairiedogmag.com/archive/?id=1129)
After thinking about the way the media has been treating the past and current City Council, I couldn't help but recall some of the serious issues that our former mayor had with the media. This is most likely the reason a lot of Regina media outlets are afraid to ask the real tough questions of Mayor Fougere and others. Well, that is, until recently. I must give a big shout out to Sheila Coles and CBC for asking those really tough questions in her recent radio interviews with the Mayor; the ones that really no one else dares to ask. Also, to CTV Regina Morning Live, where I saw yesterday they didn't pussyfoot around the serious questions about the massive debt that Mayor Fougere wants to put on the taxpayers of Regina. (Current Debt = $82M -> Projected Debt = $450M - a 550% increase, and no guarantee that is the end of the debt)
If it weren't for those tough questions, the taxpayers might think that everything in Regina is all glorious, when in reality it is anything but. I think this is a good reason why my approach to the election last year was not well received, because a lot of people did not actually realize how serious the issues were that are present at City Hall and City Council. Here's hoping the rest of Regina Media become more willing to ask those necessary, albeit tough, questions that truly inform the residents of Regina. I would much rather financially support a media outlet that isn't presenting a skewed version of City Hall.
Thankfully, Prairie Dog has taken the hard nosed approach since day one, and I think that is one of the big reasons that I respect their paper, and their resident City Hall reporter, Paul Dechene. Below is Mr. Dechene's summary of Pat Fiacco's very public battles with the press. Well, only a few of them. Enjoy!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PAT VS. THE PRESS
Without a doubt, Pat Fiacco is a popular mayor. So popular that even the media seems to be in love with him sometimes. But has that general air of approval affected city journalism in this town?
Has Mayor Pat been given a pass by the media?
"There hasn't been a lot of really heavy scrutiny of his term," says Patricia Elliott, a journalism professor at the University of Regina. "You have these media chains who aren't that interested in giving resources to local coverage so there's a lot of understaffing for city coverage.
"But then you've also got a mayor who's famously thin-skinned and the city is a big advertiser," she continues. "And he's let his displeasure be known to many a publisher and editor when he doesn't like something he sees in the media. So I believe there's a tendency to back off or to show him support in the editorial pages."
Most will remember the Maclean's incident of 2007. After the magazine ran a story calling inner-city Regina Canada's worst neighbourhood, Fiacco was involved in the ambush and subsequent lecture of a reporter from the magazine, who'd been lured to the city by the promise of a neighbourhood ride-along.
Then there was a 2008 incident where Fiacco accused CBC reporter John Weidlich of giving him a single-figure salute at a press scrum. Weidlich was cleared of the charge by CBC.
And then there's Roger Currie, host of Access 7's Talk of the Town. He's also run afoul of Fiacco.
It all started during the autumn snow storm in 2010. City hall came under fire because residential streets were a total mess and city crews weren't clearing them fast enough. At the time, Currie was working at CKRM where he was doing daily commentaries.
"I wasn't there but Pat was doing a scrum," says Currie. "And people were asking him, 'What are you going to do about the residential streets?' And he looked at the camera and kind of smiled and said, 'I'm not hearing any complaints.'
"So I did a little thing about the whole issue and one line I threw in struck a chord, I guess. I said, 'Mr. Mayor, I think you should get out a little more often and not just go to fancy dinners and boxing events.'
"[Fiacco] didn't come to me at all. He went straight to the manager of the radio station. So I was called in and told this was perhaps inappropriate and maybe I should apologize. Which I did. But without a huge amount of sincerity.
"I thought it was a not a particularly venomous kind of shot. But I've never spoken to him since.
"And now I'm over at Access doing Talk of the Town and when the city budget came down, I sent a note to [Fiacco's senior advisor] Mark Rathwell asking if there was any chance the mayor might come on to talk about the budget. We went back and forth but the message was pretty clear that, no, hell would freeze first."
So between a reputedly prickly mayor's office and city beats that are under-supported, you wind up with a lot less serious digging going on at city hall.
"That's a problem for democracy," says Elliott. "That's why we get these lopsided elections where 85 per cent are in favour of him.
"Any time you see lopsided results like that, I think you have a media deficit or a democratic deficit at some point. Because nobody's perfect." /Paul Dechene (http://www.prairiedogmag.com/archive/?id=1129)
Monday, 8 April 2013
"Bake A Difference" - Where It Came From and What It Means to Me
Good afternoon Regina!!
For anyone that has followed my Twitter account lately, you will have noticed that I am supporting a Pay It Forward style of campaign, created by the amazing folks that own and operate the Sweet Ambrosia Bake Shoppe, located on just north of 6th Ave N on Winnipeg St in Regina, Saskatchewan. There are two things that truly upset me about the experience they had faced. First, that they are a small business, and we should all be doing everything we can to support small, locally owned businesses, as they directly contribute back to our local economy. Secondly, how could anyone do this, in Regina, a "small town" big city, where virtually everybody knows everybody in one way or another? Do we honestly have people like this in this great city? Sadly, with the advent of Social Media, there are people that would never do this in person to anyone, who now have the ability to do these kind of attacks anonymously, assumably avoiding the consequences of such actions. Even the Regina Police Service have experienced the hazards of this new trend, and very unfortunately, they have, in my opinion, chosen the exact wrong way to handle the situation, by shutting their Facebook page completely down "while they look for a solution".
For anyone that wonders exactly what the "Bake A Difference" campaign is, or why Kim and Ashlee's Bake Shoppe (Now known as Sweet Ambrosia Bake Shoppe) decided to start it, please take a read below (they posted this story on their Facebook page). It is a very well written summary, and is exactly why I fully and whole heartedly support their business, them personally and their campaign. They dealt with many of the exact same things I did over the past year, and they decided on a very unique way to deal with the bullying. For anyone that has watched the Mayoral Campaign and Regina Election of 2012, you will undoubtedly know of the bullying that I endured, and continue to endure to this very day, primarily through anonymous folks through Social Media. I am the first to admit that I did not know the right way to handle it. Now, I am hoping this kind of campaign will help, literally, make a difference!
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For anyone that has followed my Twitter account lately, you will have noticed that I am supporting a Pay It Forward style of campaign, created by the amazing folks that own and operate the Sweet Ambrosia Bake Shoppe, located on just north of 6th Ave N on Winnipeg St in Regina, Saskatchewan. There are two things that truly upset me about the experience they had faced. First, that they are a small business, and we should all be doing everything we can to support small, locally owned businesses, as they directly contribute back to our local economy. Secondly, how could anyone do this, in Regina, a "small town" big city, where virtually everybody knows everybody in one way or another? Do we honestly have people like this in this great city? Sadly, with the advent of Social Media, there are people that would never do this in person to anyone, who now have the ability to do these kind of attacks anonymously, assumably avoiding the consequences of such actions. Even the Regina Police Service have experienced the hazards of this new trend, and very unfortunately, they have, in my opinion, chosen the exact wrong way to handle the situation, by shutting their Facebook page completely down "while they look for a solution".
For anyone that wonders exactly what the "Bake A Difference" campaign is, or why Kim and Ashlee's Bake Shoppe (Now known as Sweet Ambrosia Bake Shoppe) decided to start it, please take a read below (they posted this story on their Facebook page). It is a very well written summary, and is exactly why I fully and whole heartedly support their business, them personally and their campaign. They dealt with many of the exact same things I did over the past year, and they decided on a very unique way to deal with the bullying. For anyone that has watched the Mayoral Campaign and Regina Election of 2012, you will undoubtedly know of the bullying that I endured, and continue to endure to this very day, primarily through anonymous folks through Social Media. I am the first to admit that I did not know the right way to handle it. Now, I am hoping this kind of campaign will help, literally, make a difference!
PLEASE SHARE this story and blog post with your friends and family!!! You, too, can Bake A Difference today!
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Saturday, 6 April 2013
New Look
Hello everyone!
I would say welcome to Spring, but it seems that Mother Nature thinks it's funny to play April Fool's pranks all the way through the first week of April. With that said, it is the weekend, so be sure to get out and enjoy the last little taste of winter while it lasts, because before you know it, we will be basking in the sun and the heat! Right??
So, I've been wanting to update the banner on this site for a while, and tonight I finally got the motivation (and spare time) to do just that. I wanted to put a fresh look, with a positive image to it, and that is why I've incorporated some of the inspirational quotes that have motivated me over the past few months, while I continue to plan my new business and work hard for you, the Taxpayers of Regina. I truly appreciate the flood of emails, so please do keep them coming. It is because of your feedback and support, that I know I am doing the right thing, and fighting the good fight.
Keeping the focus on the positive, I wanted to put a big shout out to some of the great folks of Regina and area, that continue to Pay It Forward. A great local business, Sweet Ambrosia Bake Shoppe, has implemented an amazing Random Act of Kindness campaign, of sorts, called "Bake A Difference". You can like them on Facebook, both their Bakery and their Campaign. It may still be under Kim and Ashlee's, which was the name they were known by, until recently. It is an amazing local establishment, truly family run, with that small town family feel to it, from the first moment you walk in. All of the great folks at Sweet Ambrosia make you feel right at home when you walk through that door, to the delicious aroma of truly "from scratch" home baking! It is truly unfortunate that my wife and I have taken on this new Healthy Eating lifestyle, or I may very well gain a few more pounds each time I walk through those doors.
The Bake A Difference campaign is pretty simple, really. And, it is intended to make a difference, one small cookie at a time. On Wednesdays from 5-7:30pm, and occasionally on Saturdays from 4-6pm, they invite families/kids/adults alike to come to their shoppe, and help make Kindness Cookies. These are free to do, all it takes is your time. They created this campaign because they faced cyberbullying, pretty intensely, by one disgruntled individual who took things way too far. Fortunately, they have found a way to turn that into a positive experience for them, and the result is this Bake A Difference Campaign. Thank you to Kim and Ashlee, and all your great workers/family for your dedication to combatting bullying in a very unique way.
That is all for today, stay tuned for more big life-changing news for me, and hopefully for you. Be sure to also check out my Queen City Cruise In page, www.queencitycruisein.ca for continued updates as they develop. We have big news that we plan to release within the next couple weeks, so be sure to stay tuned for that!
Have a Grrrrrrrrrrreat Regina Day everyone!
I would say welcome to Spring, but it seems that Mother Nature thinks it's funny to play April Fool's pranks all the way through the first week of April. With that said, it is the weekend, so be sure to get out and enjoy the last little taste of winter while it lasts, because before you know it, we will be basking in the sun and the heat! Right??
So, I've been wanting to update the banner on this site for a while, and tonight I finally got the motivation (and spare time) to do just that. I wanted to put a fresh look, with a positive image to it, and that is why I've incorporated some of the inspirational quotes that have motivated me over the past few months, while I continue to plan my new business and work hard for you, the Taxpayers of Regina. I truly appreciate the flood of emails, so please do keep them coming. It is because of your feedback and support, that I know I am doing the right thing, and fighting the good fight.
Keeping the focus on the positive, I wanted to put a big shout out to some of the great folks of Regina and area, that continue to Pay It Forward. A great local business, Sweet Ambrosia Bake Shoppe, has implemented an amazing Random Act of Kindness campaign, of sorts, called "Bake A Difference". You can like them on Facebook, both their Bakery and their Campaign. It may still be under Kim and Ashlee's, which was the name they were known by, until recently. It is an amazing local establishment, truly family run, with that small town family feel to it, from the first moment you walk in. All of the great folks at Sweet Ambrosia make you feel right at home when you walk through that door, to the delicious aroma of truly "from scratch" home baking! It is truly unfortunate that my wife and I have taken on this new Healthy Eating lifestyle, or I may very well gain a few more pounds each time I walk through those doors.
The Bake A Difference campaign is pretty simple, really. And, it is intended to make a difference, one small cookie at a time. On Wednesdays from 5-7:30pm, and occasionally on Saturdays from 4-6pm, they invite families/kids/adults alike to come to their shoppe, and help make Kindness Cookies. These are free to do, all it takes is your time. They created this campaign because they faced cyberbullying, pretty intensely, by one disgruntled individual who took things way too far. Fortunately, they have found a way to turn that into a positive experience for them, and the result is this Bake A Difference Campaign. Thank you to Kim and Ashlee, and all your great workers/family for your dedication to combatting bullying in a very unique way.
That is all for today, stay tuned for more big life-changing news for me, and hopefully for you. Be sure to also check out my Queen City Cruise In page, www.queencitycruisein.ca for continued updates as they develop. We have big news that we plan to release within the next couple weeks, so be sure to stay tuned for that!
Have a Grrrrrrrrrrreat Regina Day everyone!
Tuesday, 26 March 2013
RPS Shooting & Social Media Backlash
Good morning Regina!!!
It's a beautiful Spring day outside, the sun is shining, the birds are chirping (in Florida), and all is happy in the world of social media! Okay, maybe the last bit there is far fetched, based on recent happenings on the Regina Police Service Facebook page. Personally, I am disgusted that there are people that would stoop to the level of posting some of the pretty disgusting comments/threats that they have. That said, it is the internet, and I can guarantee any of those that actually posted those comments on their wall, are high and mighty behind a computer screen, and would never consider saying that directly to anyone, including the RPS, in person. We all need to take a step back, breathe, and think before we post (myself included). Regardless of your personal views on this situation, please, respect that there are human beings behind that Facebook/Twitter, and they are only there to do their job. That is not enforcing the law, it is to interact with you and I, via a tremendous channel like Social Media. PLEASE don't ruin this opportunity by spoiling it and tainting it with these kind of personal attacks. I honestly believe if everyone waited a day or two before posting on there, none of those attacks would have happeend.
I want to first put out my heartfelt thanks to the Regina Police Service's Social Media Guru, she is one amazing, amazing person, who I feel should be respected and commended on her ability to put a friendly face to an organization that may otherwise be viewed at as "only" the bad guys that enforce the law. Remember, they are all human, they have families, they have feelings, and best of all, there are a good number of RPS members who are as down to earth as you and I, and only are there to do their job. Yes, I know there are issues with some select staff, that I have acknowledged in the past, and hopefully that gets handled by the RPS internally. It can only happen through complaints from you and I, though, so please, if you have to make a complaint, do it respectfully. You catch more flies with honey than you do vinegar, right?
I will quickly give you my thoughts on the actual situation at hand: the shooting of a family pet by an officer in the line of duty. Definitely food for thought. Who is telling the full story? Only time will tell. Unless you were there, of course, it's hard to judge. I think anyways. Officers have to make split second decisions at times, and sometimes they are the wrong ones. Was this a deliberate shooting, targetting that dog/owner? Highly, highly doubtful. Should the officers have done something other than shooting the dog? Most likely. Should we shame them for acting on their instincts? That's for the RPS and the courts to decide. With all that said, remember, they are human, they make mistakes. Sometimes, mistakes that can haunt them/us for a long, long time. I'm sure the officers involved have been shaken up by that experience itself, let alone the backlash afterwards. PLEASE take some time to let the RPS handle this investigation, and if necessary, an external investigation, to figure out exactly what happened there. Remember, there are always two sides to the story. Chances are, the truth/reality sits somewhere in the middle of those two.
Now, onto the Social Media aspect of this sad situation. Firstly, I want to say that I have personally dealt with this kind of behaviour for over a year now. Some of it through anonymous posts in a forum, some through Facebook, some through Twitter. I took my situation to the Regina Police Service in May 2012, which hindered a lot on what happened through Social Media. At that time, 3 out of the 4 officers I dealt with were tremendous and understanding. It was, sadly, the fourth officer, the one that actually took the complaint, that ruined my confidence in the RPS at that given time. Yes, I shouldn't let one bad apple affect the feelings of the entire organization, but I did at that time. Unfortunately, that officer did not take my complaint seriously, and chuckled at the thought of someone taking issue with something that happens "just on the internet". Since that day, I never brought forward any more of my concerns about this activity to the RPS, because of that one officer's actions.
I know this may be considered mean to say, but really, I think this recent action is the best thing that could have happened to the Regina Police Service. Now, they finally see, firsthand, what can and does happen, often, on the internet where people think they can get away with anything, without consequences. Perhaps now, they might just take cases like mine much more seriously, and start actively pursuing a solution to minimize this kind of activity. You will probably never fully eliminate it, but cracking down on those that think they can do this, without consequences, certainly should help. I know that I am not the first, nor will I be the last, to experience online/cyberbullying. It is my wish to work with the RPS to address this very serious issue, and hopefully provide a common ground that can set a precedent for dealing with this activity.
I am currently in the process of working with a great local business that dealt with bullying, along with a great local organization that is working to combat bullying. It is my hope that we can all work together towards a common goal, because in the end, the problems are all the same. This is the time where I can channel any of that attention (positive or negative) from the election time towards a positive outcome. I have personally apologized to some great Regina folks on Twitter in the last day, and that is hopefully step one in a multi-step process.
Thank you for taking the time to read this, and please, feel free to leave constructive, clean criticism/comments all you wish.
Have a great Regina Day everyone!
It's a beautiful Spring day outside, the sun is shining, the birds are chirping (in Florida), and all is happy in the world of social media! Okay, maybe the last bit there is far fetched, based on recent happenings on the Regina Police Service Facebook page. Personally, I am disgusted that there are people that would stoop to the level of posting some of the pretty disgusting comments/threats that they have. That said, it is the internet, and I can guarantee any of those that actually posted those comments on their wall, are high and mighty behind a computer screen, and would never consider saying that directly to anyone, including the RPS, in person. We all need to take a step back, breathe, and think before we post (myself included). Regardless of your personal views on this situation, please, respect that there are human beings behind that Facebook/Twitter, and they are only there to do their job. That is not enforcing the law, it is to interact with you and I, via a tremendous channel like Social Media. PLEASE don't ruin this opportunity by spoiling it and tainting it with these kind of personal attacks. I honestly believe if everyone waited a day or two before posting on there, none of those attacks would have happeend.
I want to first put out my heartfelt thanks to the Regina Police Service's Social Media Guru, she is one amazing, amazing person, who I feel should be respected and commended on her ability to put a friendly face to an organization that may otherwise be viewed at as "only" the bad guys that enforce the law. Remember, they are all human, they have families, they have feelings, and best of all, there are a good number of RPS members who are as down to earth as you and I, and only are there to do their job. Yes, I know there are issues with some select staff, that I have acknowledged in the past, and hopefully that gets handled by the RPS internally. It can only happen through complaints from you and I, though, so please, if you have to make a complaint, do it respectfully. You catch more flies with honey than you do vinegar, right?
I will quickly give you my thoughts on the actual situation at hand: the shooting of a family pet by an officer in the line of duty. Definitely food for thought. Who is telling the full story? Only time will tell. Unless you were there, of course, it's hard to judge. I think anyways. Officers have to make split second decisions at times, and sometimes they are the wrong ones. Was this a deliberate shooting, targetting that dog/owner? Highly, highly doubtful. Should the officers have done something other than shooting the dog? Most likely. Should we shame them for acting on their instincts? That's for the RPS and the courts to decide. With all that said, remember, they are human, they make mistakes. Sometimes, mistakes that can haunt them/us for a long, long time. I'm sure the officers involved have been shaken up by that experience itself, let alone the backlash afterwards. PLEASE take some time to let the RPS handle this investigation, and if necessary, an external investigation, to figure out exactly what happened there. Remember, there are always two sides to the story. Chances are, the truth/reality sits somewhere in the middle of those two.
Now, onto the Social Media aspect of this sad situation. Firstly, I want to say that I have personally dealt with this kind of behaviour for over a year now. Some of it through anonymous posts in a forum, some through Facebook, some through Twitter. I took my situation to the Regina Police Service in May 2012, which hindered a lot on what happened through Social Media. At that time, 3 out of the 4 officers I dealt with were tremendous and understanding. It was, sadly, the fourth officer, the one that actually took the complaint, that ruined my confidence in the RPS at that given time. Yes, I shouldn't let one bad apple affect the feelings of the entire organization, but I did at that time. Unfortunately, that officer did not take my complaint seriously, and chuckled at the thought of someone taking issue with something that happens "just on the internet". Since that day, I never brought forward any more of my concerns about this activity to the RPS, because of that one officer's actions.
I know this may be considered mean to say, but really, I think this recent action is the best thing that could have happened to the Regina Police Service. Now, they finally see, firsthand, what can and does happen, often, on the internet where people think they can get away with anything, without consequences. Perhaps now, they might just take cases like mine much more seriously, and start actively pursuing a solution to minimize this kind of activity. You will probably never fully eliminate it, but cracking down on those that think they can do this, without consequences, certainly should help. I know that I am not the first, nor will I be the last, to experience online/cyberbullying. It is my wish to work with the RPS to address this very serious issue, and hopefully provide a common ground that can set a precedent for dealing with this activity.
I am currently in the process of working with a great local business that dealt with bullying, along with a great local organization that is working to combat bullying. It is my hope that we can all work together towards a common goal, because in the end, the problems are all the same. This is the time where I can channel any of that attention (positive or negative) from the election time towards a positive outcome. I have personally apologized to some great Regina folks on Twitter in the last day, and that is hopefully step one in a multi-step process.
Thank you for taking the time to read this, and please, feel free to leave constructive, clean criticism/comments all you wish.
Have a great Regina Day everyone!
Sunday, 17 March 2013
COMING SOON: Prairie Soul Accounting & Consulting!!
Good morning Regina!
Well, it's very late night for me writing this right now, but by the time you read this, it'll probably be morning. And, well, there'll probably be another 10-20cm of snow on the ground. This year has got to be the worst in terms of snowfall for winter. Temperature wise, I think it's been an "average" winter, but certainly, this is the most snow that I can remember in all my 37 years on this Earth, and it sounds like it's likely the most we've ever had since keeping records. Whatever the reality of it is, I know one thing is for certain...we are all ready for Spring to hit on Wednesday! Even though the forecast isn't showing that actually happening until the last week of March at the earliest.
So, I'm sure you're all wondering, what has this guy been up to lately? He hasn't done a live stream in weeks, and doesn't post many blog entries lately either. What's the deal! Well, I am very, very proud to say that I've been very busy working hard with some amazing folks to make the 2nd Annual Queen City Cruise In all that it can be, and more. And, I've been meeting with some amazing Regina folks that I've finally had the time to meet with from Twitter and beyond, and made some really great friends with a lot of these people. I want to send a shout out to each and every one of them for taking the time to meet with me in person, and for getting to know me in the real world, where they got to see the "real" Chad. For anyone that's been following my @cavon76 Twitter account lately, you'll have noticed some heavy activity from the parody accounts once again. And, for those of you that follow that really closely, it's pretty easy to get an idea of who is behind each of these accounts, especially if you notice that they only get active when I bring up certain topics or certain issues that relate to certain individuals in Regina. But, that's behind us now, it seems that they've gone quiet for now, and here's hoping they'll be silent going forward, or better yet, try to be a positive influence on Regina.
Finally, I've been working on finding a job in Regina, but not having much luck. Whether it be because of the thought that I might leave them to run in a future election, or they think I'm too harsh for them because of what they've seen during the election, or what have you, the sad reality of it is, that the job hunt continues. And, that has lead me to the ultimate dream of pursuing my own business. While I have been running Prairie Soul Productions Inc. for some time now; it is a non-profit, and certainly has never meant to be my main income earner. That said, I am very proud to say that I have begun the process to create Prairie Soul Accounting & Consulting! We are in the very beginning stages of the business planning, but very soon, you will have the opportunity to get an external accountant to do your bookkeeping, payroll, accounts payable, budgets, projections, financial statements, you name it. Our primary focus will be start up and small businesses, where there is no need for a full time staff accountant, at a very reasonable rate. Of course we will also be able to offer income tax planning and return preparation as well. And, best of all, the Consulting side of the buiness is where the fun part comes in. If you are considering an expansion to your business, or a new business venture, you can come to us for all your needs! We will specialize in strategic management consulting, where we can analyze far more than just the numbers for you, to give you an idea of whether or not that next business step is right for you, and what the Benefits and Risks may be.
Thank you to everyone I've met with over the past couple months for your inspiration. Without your support and kind words, it would have been very tough for me to have come to this conclusion. I have the utmost confidence that this business will be a tremendous success, and it will be the bread and butter income for me, while I pursue the passion of Prairie Soul Productions. Oh, and as for the Live Streams, I've decided that those will be kept for only very special occasions in the future. In place of that, you will soon be treated to a monthly Video Blog, that will be produced and edited by a really great up and coming local talent, Tanner Goetz of Next Level Media. Stay tuned for more details on that!
Well, it's very late night for me writing this right now, but by the time you read this, it'll probably be morning. And, well, there'll probably be another 10-20cm of snow on the ground. This year has got to be the worst in terms of snowfall for winter. Temperature wise, I think it's been an "average" winter, but certainly, this is the most snow that I can remember in all my 37 years on this Earth, and it sounds like it's likely the most we've ever had since keeping records. Whatever the reality of it is, I know one thing is for certain...we are all ready for Spring to hit on Wednesday! Even though the forecast isn't showing that actually happening until the last week of March at the earliest.
So, I'm sure you're all wondering, what has this guy been up to lately? He hasn't done a live stream in weeks, and doesn't post many blog entries lately either. What's the deal! Well, I am very, very proud to say that I've been very busy working hard with some amazing folks to make the 2nd Annual Queen City Cruise In all that it can be, and more. And, I've been meeting with some amazing Regina folks that I've finally had the time to meet with from Twitter and beyond, and made some really great friends with a lot of these people. I want to send a shout out to each and every one of them for taking the time to meet with me in person, and for getting to know me in the real world, where they got to see the "real" Chad. For anyone that's been following my @cavon76 Twitter account lately, you'll have noticed some heavy activity from the parody accounts once again. And, for those of you that follow that really closely, it's pretty easy to get an idea of who is behind each of these accounts, especially if you notice that they only get active when I bring up certain topics or certain issues that relate to certain individuals in Regina. But, that's behind us now, it seems that they've gone quiet for now, and here's hoping they'll be silent going forward, or better yet, try to be a positive influence on Regina.
Finally, I've been working on finding a job in Regina, but not having much luck. Whether it be because of the thought that I might leave them to run in a future election, or they think I'm too harsh for them because of what they've seen during the election, or what have you, the sad reality of it is, that the job hunt continues. And, that has lead me to the ultimate dream of pursuing my own business. While I have been running Prairie Soul Productions Inc. for some time now; it is a non-profit, and certainly has never meant to be my main income earner. That said, I am very proud to say that I have begun the process to create Prairie Soul Accounting & Consulting! We are in the very beginning stages of the business planning, but very soon, you will have the opportunity to get an external accountant to do your bookkeeping, payroll, accounts payable, budgets, projections, financial statements, you name it. Our primary focus will be start up and small businesses, where there is no need for a full time staff accountant, at a very reasonable rate. Of course we will also be able to offer income tax planning and return preparation as well. And, best of all, the Consulting side of the buiness is where the fun part comes in. If you are considering an expansion to your business, or a new business venture, you can come to us for all your needs! We will specialize in strategic management consulting, where we can analyze far more than just the numbers for you, to give you an idea of whether or not that next business step is right for you, and what the Benefits and Risks may be.
Thank you to everyone I've met with over the past couple months for your inspiration. Without your support and kind words, it would have been very tough for me to have come to this conclusion. I have the utmost confidence that this business will be a tremendous success, and it will be the bread and butter income for me, while I pursue the passion of Prairie Soul Productions. Oh, and as for the Live Streams, I've decided that those will be kept for only very special occasions in the future. In place of that, you will soon be treated to a monthly Video Blog, that will be produced and edited by a really great up and coming local talent, Tanner Goetz of Next Level Media. Stay tuned for more details on that!
Have a great Regina Day!!
Saturday, 2 March 2013
Is it Spring yet?
Good afternoon Regina!!!!
Well, here we are, the 2nd of March, and it is looking beeeeautiful outside! The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, the pavement is visible, could life get any better? Oh wait...looks like we have a storm warning for tonight. Bummer! Ahh well, I wasn't ready to take the Solstice out of the garage quite yet anyways. But, with that said, life still is amazing, and it really couldn't get much better. Why? Just because things are working out very well for me on a personal level, and the Queen City Cruise In (queencitycruisein.ca) is coming together quite nicely. Our event organizing committee met last week to discuss the finer details of the event, and we are currently actively seeking out sponsors and vendors to participate in the event, and the response has been astounding. If you have a local (Saskatchewan) business, and are of the "smaller" variety, we would love to have you on board for the 2013 Queen City Cruise In. Just make sure to act fast, because we only have so much room left, and in the next month, we are going to be increasing our efforts, in anticipation for a full sell-out of vendor spots by the end of March.
We at Prairie Soul Productions Inc. are very proud to support all Regina businesses, but moreso focusing on the businesses that may otherwise have a difficult opportunity to gain that exposure. Whether it be an up and coming business, a home-based business, or simply one that wants to get their brand known even further, Prairie Soul wants to work with you! And, what's better, is we are a registered Non-Profit corporation, and our mandate includes a strict vision to give back to the community that we all know and love, Regina, Saskatchewan. We believe whole heartedly in being positive thinkers, and with that positive attitude, we exude the positive energy that spreads like wildfire. It is the positive outlook that allows us to be so excited for what may seem like the little things in life, like the chirping of birds on a beautiful March day.
It is truly hard to believe that one year ago today, I was in the final planning stages for the day that would forever change my future. That day was March 5, 2012, when I made the big, splashy entrance, in a very unconventional means, to announce my intentions to run for the Mayor of Regina. A lot has happened since then, and my life certainly has changed immensely in that short amount of time. And, it has taken a lot of getting used to, being recognized almost everywhere we go, and receiving special treatment by those that already were amazing to us. We get that special added touch, and it makes the whole campaign worthwhile when we get that positive vibe brought back to us. It means so much to hear from the great folks of Regina, both in person and online and through email feedback, about how much they respect what I did during my campaign, and admired the courage to take that step, and to challenge authority when it was needed to be done. It is hard to stay grounded when you receive such positive energy from people, but the great thing is, being able to harness that energy, and push forward and give back to Regina in so many ways, that it would blow the minds of anyone who dared to think I was "crazy" during the election.
Have a grrrrrrrrrrreat Regina Day everyone!
Well, here we are, the 2nd of March, and it is looking beeeeautiful outside! The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, the pavement is visible, could life get any better? Oh wait...looks like we have a storm warning for tonight. Bummer! Ahh well, I wasn't ready to take the Solstice out of the garage quite yet anyways. But, with that said, life still is amazing, and it really couldn't get much better. Why? Just because things are working out very well for me on a personal level, and the Queen City Cruise In (queencitycruisein.ca) is coming together quite nicely. Our event organizing committee met last week to discuss the finer details of the event, and we are currently actively seeking out sponsors and vendors to participate in the event, and the response has been astounding. If you have a local (Saskatchewan) business, and are of the "smaller" variety, we would love to have you on board for the 2013 Queen City Cruise In. Just make sure to act fast, because we only have so much room left, and in the next month, we are going to be increasing our efforts, in anticipation for a full sell-out of vendor spots by the end of March.
We at Prairie Soul Productions Inc. are very proud to support all Regina businesses, but moreso focusing on the businesses that may otherwise have a difficult opportunity to gain that exposure. Whether it be an up and coming business, a home-based business, or simply one that wants to get their brand known even further, Prairie Soul wants to work with you! And, what's better, is we are a registered Non-Profit corporation, and our mandate includes a strict vision to give back to the community that we all know and love, Regina, Saskatchewan. We believe whole heartedly in being positive thinkers, and with that positive attitude, we exude the positive energy that spreads like wildfire. It is the positive outlook that allows us to be so excited for what may seem like the little things in life, like the chirping of birds on a beautiful March day.
It is truly hard to believe that one year ago today, I was in the final planning stages for the day that would forever change my future. That day was March 5, 2012, when I made the big, splashy entrance, in a very unconventional means, to announce my intentions to run for the Mayor of Regina. A lot has happened since then, and my life certainly has changed immensely in that short amount of time. And, it has taken a lot of getting used to, being recognized almost everywhere we go, and receiving special treatment by those that already were amazing to us. We get that special added touch, and it makes the whole campaign worthwhile when we get that positive vibe brought back to us. It means so much to hear from the great folks of Regina, both in person and online and through email feedback, about how much they respect what I did during my campaign, and admired the courage to take that step, and to challenge authority when it was needed to be done. It is hard to stay grounded when you receive such positive energy from people, but the great thing is, being able to harness that energy, and push forward and give back to Regina in so many ways, that it would blow the minds of anyone who dared to think I was "crazy" during the election.
Stay tuned Regina, we're only getting started!!!
Have a grrrrrrrrrrreat Regina Day everyone!
Friday, 15 February 2013
Titan Automotive $5,000 Non-Profit Challenge
Good afternoon Regina!!!
As you may or may not already know, I have the pleasure of being president of a brand new Non-Profit Corporation based here in Regina, Saskatchewan, by the name of Prairie Soul Productions Inc. We at Prairie Soul are dedicated to giving back to our great community, and are very proud to be assisting the Chili for Children Program this year for our 2nd Annual Queen City Cruise In. In future years, we hope to be in a financial position to give to even more local charities, with the focus on remaining local. We believe strongly in supporting local businesses when we host events, and supporting local charities because there are many great folks in Regina that could really use the extra assistance, through a variety of existing local charities.
Keeping this in mind, we are participating in the Titan Automotive $5,000 Non-Profit Challenge!! These great folks have been gracious enough to put up to $5,000 as a total prize for a variety of Non-Profits, and we are very proud to be one of the contestants. The challenge is very easy; all you have to do is click this link, http://bit.ly/XJkKep, read our description and video (optional) and click the "VOTE" button. That's it!! That easy. And, for me, the best part of this challenge is, the more total votes cast for all entries, the higher the total payout that Titan Automotive Group is going to give out. However, in order to qualify for a portion of the payout, a contestant must receive at least 100 votes, and then they get a portion of the total payout, depending on their percentage of votes, so please share with your friends and family.
Unfortunately, we, at Prairie Soul, are challenged in this City in terms of receiving any public funding, thanks to certain individuals being in high-ranking positions in this City (and provincial crowns now). BUT, the great thing is, we don't need no stinking public funding to make our non-profit a true success story!! We have great folks that have been partnering up with us like crazy, and it's thanks to great local businesses like Titan Automotive Group that we can continue making great events happen in Regina, without a sole focus on making a profit.
When asked why I chose to make Prairie Soul Productions Inc. a non-profit, the answer is simple really, and probably not one you will believe or expect from someone that honestly doesn't make that much money. I want to run a successful business, where I can do what I love, and be able to make a decent living. I don't want or need to make a fortune doing it, and as such, I have chosen to make it a Non-Profit Corporation, which gives back to it's community in so many great ways. The only real difference between a For-Profit and a Non-Profit, is that a Non-Profit simply reinvests (and donates) it's end of the year profits into the company and community. It still can operate like a regular business, paying salaries, employing great people, all that. It's just a personal choice that I made so that there could never be any confusion as to why my company does what it does, and no possible "conflict of interests" like certain other politicians in our great City.
Thank you for your time, and PLEASE do share this with everyone you know!! This is a very good cause, and we would appreciate all the support you can give us.
Have a GRREEAT Regina Day!!
As you may or may not already know, I have the pleasure of being president of a brand new Non-Profit Corporation based here in Regina, Saskatchewan, by the name of Prairie Soul Productions Inc. We at Prairie Soul are dedicated to giving back to our great community, and are very proud to be assisting the Chili for Children Program this year for our 2nd Annual Queen City Cruise In. In future years, we hope to be in a financial position to give to even more local charities, with the focus on remaining local. We believe strongly in supporting local businesses when we host events, and supporting local charities because there are many great folks in Regina that could really use the extra assistance, through a variety of existing local charities.
Keeping this in mind, we are participating in the Titan Automotive $5,000 Non-Profit Challenge!! These great folks have been gracious enough to put up to $5,000 as a total prize for a variety of Non-Profits, and we are very proud to be one of the contestants. The challenge is very easy; all you have to do is click this link, http://bit.ly/XJkKep, read our description and video (optional) and click the "VOTE" button. That's it!! That easy. And, for me, the best part of this challenge is, the more total votes cast for all entries, the higher the total payout that Titan Automotive Group is going to give out. However, in order to qualify for a portion of the payout, a contestant must receive at least 100 votes, and then they get a portion of the total payout, depending on their percentage of votes, so please share with your friends and family.
Unfortunately, we, at Prairie Soul, are challenged in this City in terms of receiving any public funding, thanks to certain individuals being in high-ranking positions in this City (and provincial crowns now). BUT, the great thing is, we don't need no stinking public funding to make our non-profit a true success story!! We have great folks that have been partnering up with us like crazy, and it's thanks to great local businesses like Titan Automotive Group that we can continue making great events happen in Regina, without a sole focus on making a profit.
When asked why I chose to make Prairie Soul Productions Inc. a non-profit, the answer is simple really, and probably not one you will believe or expect from someone that honestly doesn't make that much money. I want to run a successful business, where I can do what I love, and be able to make a decent living. I don't want or need to make a fortune doing it, and as such, I have chosen to make it a Non-Profit Corporation, which gives back to it's community in so many great ways. The only real difference between a For-Profit and a Non-Profit, is that a Non-Profit simply reinvests (and donates) it's end of the year profits into the company and community. It still can operate like a regular business, paying salaries, employing great people, all that. It's just a personal choice that I made so that there could never be any confusion as to why my company does what it does, and no possible "conflict of interests" like certain other politicians in our great City.
Thank you for your time, and PLEASE do share this with everyone you know!! This is a very good cause, and we would appreciate all the support you can give us.
Have a GRREEAT Regina Day!!
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